Kansas City Star Logo

‘A Modern Night at the Folly’: Dance showcase features works challenging, beautiful, ambiguous, awkward | The Kansas City Star

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Newsletters
  • Obituaries

    • All News
    • Local news
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • The Buzz
    • Nation & World
    • 913
    • Cass County
    • Lee's Summit
    • Video
    • Photos
    • All Sports
    • Chiefs
    • Royals
    • Royals photos
    • Sporting KC
    • Olympics
    • Kansas
    • Missouri
    • K-State
    • High School
    • Scores & Stats
    • NASCAR
    • Outdoors
    • NBA
    • Buy Tickets
    • Blogs & Columns
    • The Full 90
    • Campus Corner
    • For Pete's Sake
    • Sam Mellinger
    • Vahe Gregorian
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • The Missouri Influencer Series
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Colleen Nelson
    • Derek Donovan
    • Dave Helling
    • Melinda Henneberger
    • Steve Kraske
    • Toriano Porter
    • Guest commentary
    • Syndicated columnists
    • Submit a Letter
    • Entertainment
    • Ink
    • Events
    • Arts & Culture
    • Music
    • Comics
    • Stargazing
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Movies
    • Horoscopes
    • Arts
    • TV
    • Restaurants
    • Books
    • Star TV listings
    • All Business
    • Cityscape
    • Development
    • Workplace
    • Personal Finance
    • National/International
    • Technology
    • Kids & Money
    • All Living
    • Chow Town
    • Eat & Drink
    • House & Home
    • KC Gardens
    • Advice columns
    • Faith
    • Travel
    • Family

    • True Blue app
    • Red Zone Extra
    • Star news apps
    • Extra Time KC

  • Cars
  • Contests
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Homes
    • Place an ad
    • All Classifieds
  • Spaces
  • KC Weddings

  • Contact us
  • Mobile & Apps

Classical Music & Dance

‘A Modern Night at the Folly’: Dance showcase features works challenging, beautiful, ambiguous, awkward

By LIBBY HANSSEN

Special to The Star

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 07, 2016 08:33 AM

Palpable intensity permeated this year’s “A Modern Night at the Folly.”

Saturday’s performance at the historic Folly Theater, the 11 annual choreographic showcase presented by City in Motion Dance Theater, tackled social and psychological issues and featured abstract concepts with awkward beauty, challenging expectations with unexpected characters and innovative movement.

There were some familiar voices, with co-artistic director for City in Motion Andrea Skowronek’s “Tribe” opening the show (though the work raised the cultural appropriation eyebrow a bit) and Patrick Suzeau’s “Reflets Sur l’Eau” rolling, rocking motion set to the smearing dissonances in Jan Jirasek’s choral music.

Some of the works were fantastically disconcerting. Elaine Kimble-Peaks performed her “Ignis Fatuus,” an excellent solo work of distress and compulsion, tapping her forehead, rubbing her hair, yelling, quivering and fearful, movement of supple control that projected a character about to lose control.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Kansas City Star

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

This was paired with Jennifer Medina’s “Intermezzo,” a slight send up of dance tropes. In intentionally discomforting costumes of tulle skirt and backwards men’s shirts, the quartet performed with consternation and seriousness as they frantically scribbled in the air or over corrected their movements.

A few exuded confident auras, sexy yet non-specific.

Kameron N. Saunders’ “As We Were” was beautifully ambiguous, mastering the art of loose movement within a tightly organized framework. The three men and two women wore gauzy orange shifts, furthering the ambiguity with partnering shifts and impressive spinning lifts.

Sabrina Madison-Cannon’s “…And Then There Were Five” was a whirl of loose hair and arched backs, beautifully inventive and elicited the audience’s accolade for a impressive partnering sequence.

Also ambiguous was “The Pleiades,” choreographed by Allison Mckinzie, referring either to the stars or the mythological sisters, with sequences of holding and leading, with a graceful motif of leaning against necks.

Incorporating live music from percussionist/composer John Currey and recordings of sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, segments of M. Suzanne Ryan Strati’s “A Tulip Unfolding” offered insight and sympathy for the trials of the disease for a powerful, emotional work.

Susan Douglas Roberts’ imaginative “Spine” featured a vague narrative and pun as the duo explored — and exploded — the pages of a book.

The show ended with Andrea Schermoly’s “Fragments.” This balletic, long-limbed work was energetic and sexy, with delicious, unexpected gestural sequences.

This was a strong representation of the creative forces and talented dancers in the region, offering vitality and inspiration, despite enduring music amplified to the point of discomfort.

  Comments  

Videos

Hear the beauty of soprano Karah Son rehearsing for her Lyric Opera debut in ‘Madama Butterfly’

Dallas Symphony members perform carpool karaoke with violins

View More Video

Trending Stories

Schlitterbahn charges tossed. Judge says Kansas AG ‘irreparably tainted’ grand jury

February 22, 2019 12:24 PM

How and why Kansas freshman Ochai Agbaji went from overlooked recruit to NBA prospect

February 21, 2019 12:53 PM

Anti-gay advocate who lobbied in Kansas now ‘security concern’ in Missouri statehouse

February 21, 2019 10:25 AM

Patriots owner Robert Kraft is among the hundreds charged in Florida sex traffic sting

February 22, 2019 11:23 AM

Airport committee votes to approve agreements with KCI single terminal developer

February 21, 2019 02:07 PM

Read Next

With debut LP and tour, KC-area band won’t call itself a supergroup — but maybe it is

Classical Music & Dance

With debut LP and tour, KC-area band won’t call itself a supergroup — but maybe it is

By Jon Niccum

    ORDER REPRINT →

January 06, 2019 07:30 AM

The members of Radar State come from popular KC-area bands the Get Up Kids, Architects and Anniversary. Their first album comes out January 11, and they’re launching a national tour. So are they a supergroup?

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Kansas City Star

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE CLASSICAL MUSIC & DANCE

KU professor interviewed top names in music. Read about them in his new book

Classical Music & Dance

KU professor interviewed top names in music. Read about them in his new book

January 05, 2019 08:00 AM
Emanuel Ax, exotic Bizet and Rome: The 10 biggest classical events of 2019

Classical Music & Dance

Emanuel Ax, exotic Bizet and Rome: The 10 biggest classical events of 2019

December 29, 2018 05:30 AM
As the star of Lyric Opera’s ‘Madama Butterfly,’ this singer soars — and suffers

Classical Music & Dance

As the star of Lyric Opera’s ‘Madama Butterfly,’ this singer soars — and suffers

October 27, 2018 08:00 AM
Summer Singers tackle Carmina Burana, with help from this voice expert

Performing Arts

Summer Singers tackle Carmina Burana, with help from this voice expert

August 16, 2018 02:41 PM
Kansas City Baroque Consortium will take a musical journey to Versailles

Performing Arts

Kansas City Baroque Consortium will take a musical journey to Versailles

August 10, 2018 07:00 AM
Bach Aria Soloists aim high in season of elegant offerings

Performing Arts

Bach Aria Soloists aim high in season of elegant offerings

August 03, 2018 02:24 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Advertising information
  • Print
  • Digital
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story