New talent takes spotlight in dance show rich in variety

Love songs from Elvis, visions of the undead, even a bit of Balanchine, are all featured in Minnesota Dance Theatre's Contemporary Voices program at The Lab Theater. Five works showcase the troupe's versatility, with one spotlighting the emergence of an exciting new talent.

New York Choreographic Institute Diamond Award-winner Caroline Beach is just 19, and her world premiere, "Under the Sun," is proof that this is a young artist to watch.

Beach transforms the dancers into a restless lot -- vampires or other extraordinary beings -- and they slash through space, propelled by a stormy John Adams score. She favors contrasts, particularly sharp angles that blur into soft embraces. Beach gives us a troubled realm, but moments of connection also reveal lost innocence. The work could benefit from stronger editing, however, to sharpen its bite.

Mariusz Olszewski's world premiere, "Duets ... With Love, Elvis!" expertly shapes his ballroom, jazz and modern dance experience into a mostly playful romp for the MDT dancers, all of whom embrace some inner "Grease" affinity. Standout performances include Justin Marie Miller, Sam Feipel and Kevin Iverson in a sizzling love-triangle set to "Fever" followed by Feipel's hip-shaking, show-stopping "Heartbreak Hotel" solo.

The piece is about all stages of love, but it takes a puzzling turn by introducing images of soldiers overseas. This choice reflects Elvis Presley's U.S. Army stint as well as separation and loss, but the innovative interactions onstage do not require such a specific reference. It's a misstep in an otherwise savvy work.

The program includes two George Balanchine duets performed by New York City Ballet members Kaitlyn Gilliland (daughter of MDT artistic director Lise Houlton) and Charles Askegard (who trained with MDT founder Loyce Houlton). "Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux" is a lost excerpt from "Swan Lake" while "The Man I Love" is a section from the choreographer's 1970 ode to George Gershwin's timeless tunes.

Gilliland and Askegard generate fine chemistry to match their clean technique, which is most apparent in the latter work, a spare yet eloquent translation of a romantic song into movement.

Eliot Feld's "A Stair Dance" closes out the show. This energetic tribute to tap icon Gregory Hines sends five performers up, down, over, behind and all around a set of staircases. This tricky kinetic equivalent to a tongue-twister is just simply entertaining.

Caroline Palmer writes regularly about dance.