How best to describe Friday night's world premiere of "Escapades" by choreographer Uri Sands at the O'Shaughnessy? It's as if Sands considered what would happen if flashy film director Baz Luhrmann remade "Beach Blanket Bingo" in all its deconstructed go-go glory. And then thought to himself, "That's not enough!" and added a Mardi Gras-style masked ball finale. In other words, this work follows a wild stream of consciousness similar to Luhrmann's — often brilliant in its risky unpredictability but weighed down, at times, with gimmickry.
Performed by TU Dance (which Sands codirects with Toni Pierce-Sands), this new effort has all the hallucinogenic qualities of a summer fever-dream. The dancers bop, shimmy and do the "swim" in bathing suits sporting a cool abstract modernist print. They roll, sway and smile broadly to "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos. Berit Ahlgren kicks things off with a quirky tea party and as she appears in each successive scene it appears the flow of events springs from her character's increasingly active imagination.
The piece concludes in a beautiful light-filled swirl under a disco ball. And there are many clever moments, like when the dancers use a clothing rack to simulate strap hanging during a subway ride. But the work's frenetic flow of ideas, although slowed by the end, doesn't always serve it well. Sands gives us a bounty of memorable visuals, but his connections could be sharper. This is a fun romp, yet there seems to be much more lurking below the surface than made apparent.
Sands' new "No Middle Name" is three duets exploring companionship — romantic, playful, parting. Hassan Ingraham and Alanna Morris, in particular, apply their bodies to the lush Christopher O'Riley piano covers of Radiohead songs with spot-on timing and electric chemistry. Show-opener "B Sessions" (2005) by guest choreographer Dwight Rhoden also highlights the technical fierceness of these two dancers along with the impressive Duncan Schultz and Elayna Waxse.
Guest choreographer Camille A. Brown's premiere "Make Amends" unites two similar solos reflecting different moods through the musical accompaniment. Lucas Melsha rails against McCoy Tyner's tumultuous jazz piano composition while David Rue counters Laura Mvula's sumptuous vocals in the song "Father, Father" with a more grounded but no less powerful movement lament. Brown gives poignancy to the many facets of emotional and physical restlessness.
Caroline Palmer writes about dance.
