The Natural
The choreography is specific and tightly framed, but the company performs with such limber ease and fluidity that the piece takes on an organic ambiance. And while the notion of attempting to look natural while doing something so studied is hardly a new conceit in the realm of contemporary dance, it's still easier said than done. The dancers must in some ways belie their technical training to let the energy and expression of pure movement take over.
The piece revolves around the repetitive exercise of a line of eight dancers walking across the stage, stopping, turning around, waiting and then the crossing back over to the other side. In between the crossing and waiting are solos, duets and other configurations where dancers perform simple gestures — a slight kick out to the side or an arm bending and pointing — that do not necessarily appear to have a particular meaning in and of themselves, though when viewed in accumulation there does seem to be a message of a forceful power being generated from the ongoing build-up of these small actions. Certain sequences offer more fully formed interactions that could suggest commentary on the nature of relationships or perhaps larger concepts of human existence, but you might also see them as experiments about form and architecture, with bodies serving as building blocks.
Meanwhile there's a spare musical track, peculiar vocal samples, and rectangular light boxes set on the floor projecting images both concrete (pedestrians walking along a sidewalk) and abstract (patterns reminiscent of Mondrian).
In Plain Clothes presents a challenging study in dualities that comes dangerously close to being dance for dancers — where intimate knowledge of the art form is required to make heads or tails of it. You need to open up and embrace the rhythm and flow in order to get beyond the face value of the basic movements. But if you can get to that point, In Plain Clothes is a cool trip into the mind-body experience.
Siobhan Davies Dance,Painted Bride Art Center,Oct. 6
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