Amazing - absolutely amazing and beautiful
by Patroclus on 3/1/22The Soraya (The Valley's Center for the Performing Arts) - NorthridgeI'd say ballet informed but in no way classical ballet - not judging that. Opening scenes from Romeo/Juliet [Prokofiev] - real chemistry between the two principals, clearly not teenagers - thank goodness. Justin Rapaport is just about as beautiful as a man gets and it's rare that a guy built like that can actually dance. The AMAZING thing though was the piece called The Statement. To a scripted Kafkaesque/Orwellian narrative/soundscape trying to get to the bottom of an unnamed scenario that went very wrong, 4 dancers perform highly stylized movements around a conferee room table. with the synchronization of a drum line, the intensity of this work builds to a tense and dramatic climax leaving you feeling like you've just been in a car wreck. If you've worked in an office setting and your boss is an as***le, you will be totally involved and immersed in this piece. Totally unexpected, engaging, and profound. Can't remember the last number, more conventional contemporary dance with the whole company - it was good and worth seeing, but I was still shaken up and left dull by The Statement. thanks folks for a terrific evening.