Five years ago, the Wilma Theater launched DanceBOOM! to help local movement artists gain greater exposure. The Wilma's location on the Avenue of the Arts, combined with its marketing muscle and reputation for worthy productions, were thought to be powerful magnets capable of attracting audiences who might not otherwise see their work. Judging from the opening-night crowd for this year's series the gambit is working; there were plenty in attendance beyond Philly's usual tight-knit dance crowd. Many of these folks were visibly surprised when members of the Reactionaries popped up in various areas of the theater beyond the proscenium stage, such as a balcony catwalk. For dance die-hards, this was basic site-specific stuff, but for the newbies, it was an eye-opening experience. There was a palpable sense of surprise as the Reactionaries presented athletic pedestrian movement in direct interaction with the audience while also experimenting with stagecraft by having group members visibly follow the dancers with spotlights, video and camera equipment. Combined with a preliminary joyous street performance by Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas, these two acts kicked DanceBOOM! 2006 off in festive fashion.

Tania Isaac's lament initially continued the vibe, with several women performing light-footed hip-shaking island-inspired social dance; however, the piece soon shifted to a more serious tone. Isaac's recorded text voiced commentary meant to dispel negative notions of her native Third World West Indies nation, St. Lucia. Meanwhile, the movement deconstructed traditional Caribbean steps within the context of a contemporary postmodern aesthetic. The intriguing combination, which is quite personal to Isaac, was made even more so with her solo Stuporwoman. This reflective, introspective piece featured a live musician (Heather Zimmerman) who very literally reinforced Isaac's declaration "I think everyone should have a personal violin." Here, Isaac's strong angular performance, with limbs stretching long and wide, suggested a woman feeling her way through situations, sometimes fighting circumstances while other times fitting in.

The evening closed with Chris Aiken, Angie Hauser and Lisa Gonzalez's audience-friendly presentation of improvisational dance. A welcome surprise—improv is usually so internal to the performers that it is best left to the confines of the studio—these three, plus Andre Gribou on keyboards, presented agile, often humorous, interactions. Employing both languid and quirky gesture, the trio poked gentle fun at conventions of contact improv, to include a silly belly-butting sequence and the creation of goofy-looking entanglements. A refreshing treat, the trio offered entertaining high art.

DanceBOOM!

Program 1, with Chris Aiken, Tania Isaac Dance, Reactionaries, Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas

June 15, Wilma Theater