A New Company
Riedel Dance Theater
A Journey of Redemption
“Inferno”, “Out of the Silent Planet”, and “The Four Loves”
Joyce Soho
New York, NY
December 13, 2007
Jonathan Riedel, who danced with the Limón Company from 1996-2006, has set up his own company with some very fine dancers affiliated with Limón, Bill T. Jones, and other companies. His earlier choreography, danced both by Limón, and his own small group, was notable for its interest in characterization, mordant humor, and an unusual interest in the themes of repentance, salvation, and grace. Riedel’s new dances performed at the Joyce Soho, “Inferno”, “Out of the Silent Planet”, and “The Four Loves”, have developed the more philosophical angle, while, in these three works at least, moving away from the specific characterization that made his Edward Gorey-based dances so witty.
“Inferno” is a suite of dances to various Nocturnes by Chopin, based on, according to the program notes, the seven capitol sins and the seven chakras of the body, and inspired by the Divine Comedy. The various dances do not embody the sins explicitly, and avoid the obvious clichés, though without seeing it again, I am not sure I could connect the seven dances to their specific sins. The dances (solos and pas de deux) seem to embody the reaction to the idea of sin, rather than illustrating the different ones. The choreography, possibly due in part to the nothing but nocturnes choice of music, tended to blur together, but there were arresting moments. The push/pull feel of Kathryn Alter’s opening dance was extremely powerful. Charles Scott’s grotesque expressions and movement made him look like a medieval gargoyle visiting the 21st century, who didn’t much care for what he saw. The final solo, the Angel, danced by Riedel, was remarkable for its grace, though there wasn’t a feeling of easy salvation; the angel ended on the floor, reaching upwards, as if to say that the struggle and not the triumph was the real victory.
The second work, “Out of the Silent Planet”, to Debussy, was also literarily inspired, (by the religious and science fiction writer C. S. Lewis) and was even more dependent on the program notes for meaning; the movements were varied and often beautiful, and the astoundingly difficult lifts (one man raised another by his feet) never looked like tricks, but the complex ideas outlined in the notes about abandonment, forgiveness, and redemption didn’t really come across.
The final piece “The Four Loves”, again inspired by C. S. Lewis, was, to my mind, a much more successful abstraction. It was set to the rhythmic, lyrical, and lovely “American” string quartet by Dvorak, and each of the four musical movements was used for a different aspect of love; affection, friendship, Eros, and charity. It was basically a happy piece, but without easy sentimentality, and conveyed a range of emotions from the playful, sunny dancing of the first movement, to the consolations of affection, danced by Riedel and Alter, who began as two people who just missed each other, and ended with them in the same pose, as if on the same wavelength. It is rare to find love depicted in such a mature and complex fashion.
Eros avoided the pretzelized gropings that infect so many new works, and had James Brenneman and Lisa Iannacito skimming along in the infectious Scherzo with fast and glorious footwork. The final movement, Charity, was imaginative and quite moving. Ryan Mason was the only single person in a sea of happy couples, who seemed to struggle with his invisible bonds. He then went to the side of the stage to hide, until rescued by the rest of the company, and joined their dance. The depth of his original despair and the sophistication of the final choreography avoided the sense of an easy, pat ending. Riedel is a creator who is interested in ideas and can use them choreographically, not just, as some choreographers seem to so, as so many props for thin invention, and his work is always interesting. I just hope he hasn’t forgotten how to laugh!
Copyright 2007 by Mary Cargill
