Forgetting David Parsons

by Janet Anderson

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Dec 13, 2010

Remember Me, modern dance choreographer David Parsons’ latest work, has toured everywhere and has now finally reached Philly, part hodgepodge and part masterpiece, using the entirety of his troupe — all 10 dancers.

Thirteen sections rolled out, with no intermission, no pause to digest. The overture was accompanied by Mozart, continuing on to an overwhelming mélange of all-star music, from Puccini’s La Bohème to Verdi’s “La Donna e Mobile.” East Village Opera soloists performed with the dancers; the background electronic squeals and pulsing beat often drove the movement, suggesting a rock opera. Dancers were a blur, effortlessly slipping between the drama of “Habanera” to the introspection of “Ave Maria.”

Through complex and fascinating patterns of lifts and falls, the dancers translated the classical music and vocalization; most effectively, “Ave Maria” saw dancers forming a line with their arms interlocked like a barrier, while behind them black-and-white ghost images of their motions were reflected.

But Parsons’ vision isn’t really clear. He’s always been inventive, but much of Remember Me is cluttered and forgettable.

What put this piece in perspective was Caught, a solo Parsons created for himself in the ’80s, performed Saturday afternoon by UArts grad Steven Vaughn. The solo dancer held a strobe light that hit different parts of the dark stage every few seconds amid the darkness. Repeatedly, Vaughn leapt and was “caught” at the top of his jump at the very moment the light would flicker on. The dancer must be on his count to hit the light just right, caught over and over at the height of his leap, creating the illusion of flying.

This simple, elegant solo completely overshadowed the complicated, overworked Remember Me, whose title’s plea went ungranted.

Back and Forth Forever
Kaleidoscope
The Borrowers
5 Under 40