March 25-31, 2004

dance

La Máquina del Tiempo

by Deni Kasrel

March 18-21

Since joining Temple's dance faculty in 1999, Merián Soto has sporadically presented works, including shows at the Annenberg Center and in the DanceBoom! series; even so, she's somewhat of a well-kept secret on the local dance scene. Rest assured, that's not for lack of talent: On the contrary, Soto is one of the city's most mature and thoughtful dancer/choreographers. And though I suspect there may be tweaks to come for her latest work, La Máquina del Tiempo (The Time Machine), you'd be hard-pressed to quibble with the artful craftsmanship of this work.

Spare, simple props and occasional video did a fine job of conjuring up various times and places, such as a dance studio, a Hollywood stage or a peaceful island paradise. Exquisite costumes fashioned from sparkling fabrics infused a persistent shimmer on the stage. Lighting effects at times created shadows to make the action seem larger than life. This theatrical device also offered a subtle play on the overarching theme of time -- shadows, after all, change throughout the day based on the movement of the sun.

On stage, Yunior Terry and Elio Villafranca played bass and piano, respectively, putting them on equal footing with the dancers. Embracing Afro-Cuban, swing and straight-ahead jazz rhythms, these two were a fabulous concert unto themselves. But, of course, they were working in tandem with the trio of dancers, who did a superb job of embodying Soto's choreography, which embraces no-holds-barred sensual movement while combining multiple facets of Latino dance, especially salsa.

Each dancer injected his or her personal experience into the performance. Pablo Amores swept the stage with his seamless mix of soft shoe, mambo, jazz and club dance. Marion Ramírez and Noemí Segarra, two sisters of similar sleek body build who likewise offered a fusion of movement styles from classical to contemporary, made for a striking pair; both delivered exuberant female energy that ran from fiery to playfully sexy to primal.

La Máquina's three segments are each based on a specific idea -- improvisation, musical cinema of the '40s and '50s, and emotional memory. And though one can discern these individual concepts, they are loose, sometimes blurring into one another. More accurately, the time-machine theme served as a framework for the performers to play off one another's talents -- kind of like a jam session with structure. Simple as that may sound, it's tough to pull off, at least with the level of finesse seen here. Bravo to the cast, and here's to the secret of Soto finally getting out.

Merián Soto Dance & Performance at Conwell Dance Theater

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