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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > December > 06 > Entry
Review: ‘Here.Me.Now.’
What is the power of human touch and connection? What does it mean to be an individual?
These huge questions are explored both seriously and playfully through the twists and turns of modern dance in “Here.Me.Now.” a new production from the Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company currently running at Salvage Vanguard Theater.
Set and lighting designer Stephen Pruitt has transformed the intimate space into a blank canvas — literally. The theater is filled with rectangular and square frames overlay with neutral burlap, a visually pleasing but enigmatic backdrop.
The elegantly expressive Erica Santiago dances into this space with ease and comfort, making eye contact with the audience as if to invite us in. Other dancers enter, dressed identically in pairs of blue-green pants and maroon tops, and a series of movement vignettes play out, with dancers connecting and disconnecting from each other in different combinations. An evocative soundtrack by Austin-based instrumental group Balmorhea underscores the show.
“Here.Me.Now.” features choreography by Hamrick and the powerful dancers in the ensemble. The dynamic shifts frequently (and satisfyingly) between sustained, elegant motion and bursts of energy and lightness. Many of the performances are infused with underlying emotions, as the dancers alternate between longing, confusion, and joy.
In the show’s most engaging section, dancers connect in weight-sharing duets. The physical touch seems to energize and lift them, their faces lighting up. A brief but dynamic duet between the two male dancers, Dane Burch and Ryan Parent, reveals their agility and strength.
“Here.Me.Now” loses momentum a bit toward the end, as it builds toward moments that seem like endings but aren’t. Still, in the second half a loose (but open to interpretation) storyline has emerged.
The dancers trade in their identical tops for new ones in a range of bold colors, marking them as individuals rather than the group they were before. At the same time, they take visible pleasure in embraces and small physical gestures of support, seeming to suggest the importance of creating connections between individual, and constantly in motion, lives.
“Here.Me.Now.” continues 8 p.m. Dec. 9-11 at Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Road. Tickets $12-15. 512-934-1082. www.kdhdance.com
Claire Cananvan is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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