PINNACLE WORKS 

PRESENTED BY BOSTON DANCE THEATER 

‘Pinnacle Works’ is an exciting assemblage of repertory pieces that represent contemporary dance-making practices from Brazil, Western Europe, and Israel. The program is reflective of Boston Dance Theater’s (BDT) beginnings and the international artistic relationships which gave the company its start.

Choreographers Itzik Galili (The Netherlands, Israel), Marco Goecke (Germany), and Alessandro Sousa Pereira (Brazil, Denmark) have each been decorated by royalty for their unique contributions to the performing arts. Boston Dance Theater (BDT) is the only dance company in the world that performs a full evening by these distinguished choreographers.

Opening the program is crowd favorite ‘Peekaboo’, - the only work on the program that is not a recent U.S. or World premiere. In Peekaboo, the German choreographer Marco Goecke deals with the act of hiding and revealing in an exciting way. The title refers to a childish game well known to children: the person peeks, hides his/her face and suddenly reappears and says, ‘found’ or ‘boo’. In the work, Britten’s symphony combined with the sound of the Finnish choir Huutajat, shows contrasts: while talking about fantasy, it brings out the fears and loneliness of each dancer. The cast alternates in solos, duos, trios and ensembles, the movement is fast and accurate and the performers mysteriously appear and disappear from the scene. “Everything is a matter to be lost and found”, says the choreographer. (Written by Nadja Kadel)

Following this work is BDT Co-Artistic Director Itzik Galili’s ‘If as If’ - the first duet by Galili that has been set on the artists of Boston Dance Theater. Choreographed to music by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-Award winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis, ‘If as If’ was created as a response to Galili’s full length work, ‘Exile Within’. Exposing themes of longing, tenderness, and doubt, two dancers relay a story of the search for comfort and the refusal that often comes with it. Exile Within represents a personal struggle with body, mind, space, time, memory and history: “Is one the dark side, which the other refuses to see?” (Elisabeth Gibiat).

Rounding out the first half of the program is Denmark based, Brazilian choreographer Alessandro Sousa Pereira ‘Awa’. Awa is an explosively energetic duet created specifically for the artists of Boston Dance Theater. As with all of Pereira’s works, Awa is also an ode to the choreographer’s Brazilian roots in terms of steps, expression and music. At the same time, the duet holds a tenderness as the dancers move as two parts of one whole. The title refers to rivers of energy that flow as undercurrents within humanity. A recognition of another as belonging to the same species, separate and different, yet also the same.

Following ‘Awa’ is the only solo on the program, Goecke’s ‘Äffi’. Set to music by American music legend, Johnny Cash, ‘Äffi’ follows a solo dancer through quintessential aesthetics found within Goecke’s choreography - quick, abrupt movements, darkness, and intense focus. In the words of Darrell Wood, ‘Äffi’ is “a strong emotional statement of longing, grief, searching.”

The penultimate work is Marco Goecke’s ‘Firebird Pas de Deux’, set to Stravinksy’s 1910 score, which offers a new perspective to the classic story of The Firebird. Utilizing “staccato body thrusts, unpredictable flicks and shrugs of the head and shoulders, and quicksilver footwork” (Paula Citron & Ecotopia Productions), ‘Firebird ‘ takes the audience on a nuanced, yet explosive journey of companionship. This piece is one of the newest works to be incorporated into Boston Dance Theater’s repertoire.

Closing the evening is Alessandro Sousa Pereira’s ‘Delicate Blue’ - one of the most durational and theatrical works currently in Boston Dance Theater’s touring repertoire. ‘Delicate Blue’ draws inspiration from the literature of Clarice Lispector, a Ukrainian-born Brazilian novelist whose innovative, idiosyncratic works explore themes of intimacy and intropection. Expressed through a vast vocabulary of gestures, and guided by feelings, the extremely physical dance work embodies movements of birds and their analogous movements in people. The choreography intersects issues of identity, acceptance, otherness, and diversity as members join, leave and create groups over the course of 23 minutes.