Review: SHAPESHIFT'S GREY SKIES BLUE at Kennedy Center's Family Theater

Grey Skies Blue, a 2016 dancetheater piece by Minneapolis-based group SHAPESHIFT Dance, does not neatly fit into a box. It’s a series of vignettes with a loose story about a group of friends, who seemed to be in their late teens or early twenties, but hardly a story ballet. It’s mostly dance but with some dialogue. It’s largely breakdance and hip hop choreography but also includes moments of classical partnering. It’s targeted at families but explores mature themes such as drug abuse, police violence and cheating. It also crams that all into roughly seventy minutes. 

Grey Skies Blue, is a dynamic, ambitious work for eight dancers. Smaller companies often create small dances; sweet pieces for duets and trios. This is not that. If anything, its ambition exceeds its execution but where it falls short, it’s still interesting and makes full use of the dancers’ talent plus the heightened world created with minimal sets, creative lighting, and a few costumes. 

While the dancers were strong technically, the piece emphasized story and the ensemble over showcasing bravura skills. Company members Rachel Miller, Gabriel Blackburn and Founder/Creative Director Ashley Selmer were particularly strong, and I found myself hoping to see them solo a little more, especially as the story went on. While there were moments of levity while the dancers just got to enjoy each other, the music and the movement, the plots machinations grew increasingly complicated and dark. I won’t go into details so as to not spoil things, but it bit off way more than it could convincingly explore and wrap up in the short runtime. 

I also found the costumes to be distracting at times, like the overalls and pastel fanny packs and the midriff top in church. They felt like a parody of what adults imagine kids think they will wear when they are young adults rather than what they actually wear. A small gripe but nevertheless one that came to me at multiple times during the performance. 

Still, it’s a unique work for young audiences that treats those audiences like adults, ready to experience the joy and also grapple with the loss and confusion that come with adulthood. 

Grey Skies Blue runs through Sunday, January 19 at the Kennedy Center’s Family Theater. 

Runtime: 70 minutes, no intermission

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