BWW Reviews: DoubleTake Dance Company

DoubleTake Dance

By Jennifer Fried

Wishing to escape the chaos of the city and the summer heat in a relaxing garden while viewing free art? Look no further than La Salvatore La Russa Dance Theatre, where each Sunday different dance companies perform. This week, ignoring the threat of a thunderstorm, dance lovers congregated to watch DoubleTake Dance Company. Founded by Ashley Carter and Vanessa Martínez de Baños, the company strives to create and present new fusions of contemporary movement that are accessible to both dancers and non-dancers. Each performer offers his unique artistry and athleticism to interpret the work as an individual within the group.

The company performed Allegretto, where Carter, Martínez de Baños, and Katie Sloan entered the stage in black costumes, with red ribbons wrapped around their arms or legs. The choreography demanded a level of physicality and technique not foreign to DoubleTake's other works. The trio jumped, turned, and then nimbly dropped to the floor in fast controlled movement perhaps conveying the excitement, competition or even fear associated with moving as a trio. The choreography kept the audience on their toes, never knowing if a leg extension would turn into a fall on the floor or a turn. Martinez de Baños noted that as the pair choreographed the piece, the initial story became secondary to the intricate and dynamic movement suggested by the title Allegretto meaning "light, graceful movement." Because of the intimate performance setting, each dancer utilized his acting and theatre skills to directly connect and communicate with the audience. Particularly notable was Sloan's ability to connect the feeling of the movement to her facial expressions.

Next, Carter entered the stage in a beautiful, black dress to perform the solo Til Enda. The piece opened with Carter anxiously reading, then throwing out, a newspaper, creating a mood of anger and anxiety with a bit of sadness one experiences when reading frustrating news, possibly that someone or something has ended. Carter took the audience on an emotional journey as she grappled with, processed and finally gave in to the emotions that reading something has ended aroused in her. Without sacrificing the feeling, flow, and emotion associated with contemporary dance, Carter executed the piece with technical precision. Carter's movements were far bigger than her petite size, leaving the audience wanting more.

Carter and Martínez de Baños' choreography offers a refreshing take on contemporary dance, where the desire to move freely to the music sometimes sacrifices highly physical and technical movement. The company is very lucky: it pleases the dancer who delights in technical mastery, without alienating an audience that enjoys an excellent theatrical performance.

Photo courtesy of DoubleTake Dance Company

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