Performing Arts

A dark cloud descended on Bob Hope Theatre at SMU on Saturday night, as four master of fine arts candidates in the Division of Dance embraced the solemn and the melancholy. Only toward the end did the cloud lift for sunshine to pour in.

It says something about the times we live in and how the young are affected.

Fortunately, all 10 works offered by Jason Coosner, Garfield Lemonius, Erin Mallar and Chantel Marrow-Adams had something to say.

Limón Etude, choreographed by Carla Maxwell and based on the work of José Limón and reconstructed by Mr. Lemonius, established the prevailing mood. Set to the music of Franz Schubert, it was quiet and deliberate. The movement capitalizes on Mr. Limón's gift for letting stretched-out arms propel looping turns.

Mr. Lemonius, formerly a soloist with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, gave us quite a bit to ponder, from Limón Etude to his dramatic tango-inspired The Billy Boys, to the closing work, a high-spirited, wild and reckless African dance, Out of Many ... One.

In The Billy Boys, four tough men in black suits and hats either support one another or meet in tense confrontations. It opens with Brett Lord in a shaft of light, and later the four men slink along the edge of the stage in a murky glow. It ends with all but Mr. Lord falling into the pit.

Ms. Marrow-Adams, another former Dallas Black Dance Theatre soloist, offered an equally diverse repertory. King and Queen was clever and engaging. Breanna Gribble and M. Kalei Walfish jerk like puppets. They sit stiff and straight on a bench, and then Ms. Gribble whips her head to glare at Mr. Walfish, then folds her arm around his back. They stand and walk, and then their legs get rubbery.

In Enemies, set to the music of Kodo Drummers, two groups of five never faced combat but were nevertheless leery of each other. The drums inspire energetic leaps as groups crisscross across stage, crawl backward and flip each other over.

Ms. Marrow-Adams and Ms. Mallar reconstructed David Parsons' Parsons Etude. In a black athletic bra and shorts, Trista Jennings hops, jumps straight-legged and swivels aggressively. Then she drops to the floor and vainly tries to fall asleep. She turns and tosses before giving up.

Mr. Coosner switched gears from Journey, a slow and solemn dance for five, to Dear Mr. Cole, a lively jazzy piece originally choreographed by Jack Cole, well known for his Broadway and Hollywood musicals. Mr. Coosner switched gears again with Opus No. 1 for a balletic dance set to the repetitive music of Steve Reich. While dancers executed smooth pique turns and deep bends, they kept their arms straight or square.

Also on the program was Glass Flowers, offered by Ms. Mallar.

One can bet on promising careers for the four students. Credit also goes to two other master's candidates, Lois Catanzaro and Michael Clark Wonson, for their terrific lighting.

Margaret Putnam is a Richardson-based writer who covers dance.

msputnam@sbcglobal.net

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