Streb

Thu.-Sat., Feb. 4-6, $24-$48, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900, annenbergcenter.org.

by Janet Anderson

dance

Elizabeth Streb takes dance out of the studio and into realms reserved for athletes and daredevils. A self-styled "action architect," Streb calls her performers not dancers, but "actioneers": They'll jump, fall, crash, thrash and even grunt, hurling themselves across the Annenberg's stage, leaping onto and off beautiful, potentially dangerous contraptions. Some of Streb's props dangle in midair; others are rolled out; and one, designed by circus artists Noe and Ivan Espana, looks suspiciously like a merry-go-round. Streb didn't get a MacArthur "genius" award for putting together pretty steps. She was honored for her wildly imaginative mix of dance and sport, requiring brave performers who are willing to try anything. Says the choreographer, simply, "Action is the message."