DANCE REVIEW : Second ‘Kaleidoscope’ Focuses on Relationships

Elsewhere, American choreographers make dances about AIDS, racism and war, but at “Dance Kaleidoscope ‘91” a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh. The second program in the annual showcase series, Sunday at Cal State Los Angeles, focused on relationships: the yearning for affirmation through a partner or group.

Only Young-Ae Park’s “Return” dealt with classic modern-dance themes of self-empowerment--and that indirectly. Accompanied by a rhythmic Butch Rovan score, this meticulously executed solo expanded from tiny, arresting gestural statements to compulsive jumping, turning, rolling actions danced full-out.

Katie Stevinson’s duet “Sometimes” used text, music (by Peter Gabriel), pantomime, gymnastics and a little dancing to depict a cease-fire in the sex-war dominating modern dance for the last decade. The truce looked uneasy, but Stevinson spelled out her stance: An imperfect, occasionally oppressive relationship is better than being alone.

Solid performances by Stevinson and David Boyd sustained interest through cyclical repeats in a deliberately artless, forthright movement study.

Choreographers Lori DuPeron and John Castagna envisioned the end of social hostilities and the start of communal solidarity in “Peace by Piece” for the IT Squad. A propulsive Mark Governor score and periodic spoken maxims helped unify a collage of gesture, pedestrian motion, social dancing and gymnastics suggesting various facets of the dying power structure.

However, even the hopeful new-age finale looked imposed by force on the six-member cast. Without genuine feeling, that sweet bye and bye seemed awfully bleak.

With its nine smiling young people gently cradling one another, Stephanie Gilliland’s “Spell: Still Creating the World” (music by Butch Rovan) offered a more persuasive glimpse of societal nirvana--while the performance by Pacific Dance Ensemble had gained a ravishing tenderness since the work’s premiere in April.

In the most powerful dancing of the afternoon, Faith Jensen-Ismey and Gail Olson of 3’s Company traced an arc from the exultant to the despairing in Jean Isaacs’ “Red Dress/White Dress,” two character solos fixated on relationships, set to Kurt Weill cafe songs.

Heidi Duckler mocked this concept of romantic angst in the satirical intermission piece “Groomless” for Collage Dance Theatre. Here we saw five brides marooned on the arcade roofs in front of the Playhouse: women victimized by false expectations. Text by Merridawn Duckler and live music by the Antenna Repairmen complemented the brides’ surreal dismay.

Two ballet companies also graced the program. Westside Ballet danced George Balanchine’s 1953 version of “Valse Fantaisie,” (music by Glinka), a showpiece for fleet, accomplished technicians. Although individuality of phrasing never distinguished the performances by a young trainee cast, three of the four dancers had mastered both style and steps--while such details as the delicate use of hands revealed the extreme care of the staging.

Long Beach Ballet danced David Allan’s “On Occasion,” a sextet (music by St. Preux) with distinctive solos, a formula pas de deux, a mindless comic trio and an equally empty-headed finale. The performance proved just as uneven as the choreography, but Tzer-Shing Wang exuded effervescence and technical surety in one solo and Daniel Kirk brought equal quantities of concentration and muscle-power to the other.

Normally a member of Oregon Ballet Theatre, Kirk wasn’t identified in either the house program or any announcement; neither was Lisa Street, who also replaced a listed company member. This “Kaleidoscope” program will be repeated Friday, with a new bill on Saturday and Sunday.