Sewell + Bad Plus = sly new work

Choreographer James Sewell has found kindred spirits in the audacious indie-jazz collective the Bad Plus. His "The Bad Plus Us," which had its world premiere Thursday night at the O'Shaughnessy, balances precariously on the edge of creative anarchy in much the same way his musical partners tend to do.

Sewell experiments with several movement and stagecraft ideas -- too many, really -- but locates a groove that often matches the rhythmic twists and turns of the Bad Plus' cocktail-lounge-gone-hardcore aesthetic.

The work unfolds within a high-contrast, pop-art setting: a clear plastic backdrop with black stripes, costumes in shades of black, gray and white. It feels busy when everyone is onstage, but in less populated sections the effect ably frames the dancers in motion.

"The Bad Plus Us" reveals its sly self-assurance in key moments, as when Chris Hannon fearlessly dives from his feet to his hands in one smooth action, or Nicolas Lincoln, Eve Schulte and Stephanie Wolf shimmy together in cool unison, or the ensemble line-dances through a deconstructed hoedown.

At one point cellophane ends up wrapped around the dancers, restricting their movements, eventually binding them together. It's an unnecessary gimmick and momentum-stopper, but is quickly tossed aside as the performers return to the far more fascinating task of negotiating their way in and around the complex musical score.

The evening also includes Penelope Freeh's "Simple Folk," which premiered earlier this year. The work is set to "folk songs," actually music transcribed by Beethoven that sounds like "sung stories" as described by Freeh in the program note. In just a few scenes the choreographer imagines a captivating world -- with a Dickensian feel to it -- for a mischievous quartet of characters. Freeh demonstrates a deep connection to the music, revealing subtlety, unadorned beauty and even physical comedy within her finely crafted movement.

The remaining works on the program both debuted in 1996. "Protective Coloring for Pointe and Cello" pairs Sally Rousse with cellist Laura Sewell (performing a score by Steve Heitzeg), and presents an opportunity to appreciate how well the dancer completely inhabits each note of the music. And "Moving Works" is a brightly colored, well executed exercise in precision movement and kinetic counter-rhythms that still manages to successfully realize a full range of emotional states.

Caroline Palmer writes regularly about dance.