<< BACK

BlackeXpressions
By Clare Croft
January 26, 2004

Friday night's "BlackeXpressions," a showcase of Washington's and New York's emerging black choreographers at the Lincoln Theatre, represented a broad spectrum of artists and styles. Though the evening's theme proved powerful, the program suffered from vast differences in quality among the young choreographers.

Washington's Gesel Mason contributed "No Less Black," a rich solo for Darby Pack to Mason's poetry. Pack began, back to the audience, her hand tracing her spine and neck, setting off a slow domino effect throughout her body. Her shoulders rippled, then her ribs, then her circling hips lifted her from the floor. Karyn Siobhan Robinson repeated "I am no less black than . . ." finishing each iteration with everything from O.J. Simpson to Katherine Dunham. Finally Pack massaged her neck, seeming to find comfort in her own body and identity.

Boris Willis, also from Washington, made subtle connections between himself and Cynthia McLaughlin in his "Cocteau Variations." The relationship between the two unfolded carefully, climaxing as their eyes met at the close of the work.

The evening's most driving, well-executed movement came from New York's Jennifer Archibald and her Arch Dance Company. But "Catch 22" and "Encounters" felt disjointed since the hip-hop and modern sections never merged.

Washingtonian Sandra Holloway crafted a strange collage of sexy couples, a hilarious male solo to Little Richard's "I Feel Pretty" and a solo about the Crucifixion in "Pa-Shen." New York's Women @ Work presented "Goddess Subdued" and "Beg-In Her."