Choreographer: Laurie Eisenhower
Performers: Emily Laird, Quinn Mihalovic
Anytime you have a young, attractive couple dance a duet to the strains of Ave Maria you are in immediate danger of succumbing to the saccharin. Not that sweet is bad, but to its credit, this piece never quite went there. Yes, it was lovely. Yes, it was tender. But the intimate interactions, starting with the very tentative reach for each other, were underpinned by a palpable yearning that was never quite fulfilled. Whether it was one of the lifts or a graceful drop-catch, their intimate movements evoked a sense of caring and trust. However, there was always a subsequent disconnect that resulted in creative tension. As the dancers separated then flowed together again, we were witnessing a magnetism that constantly attracted, then without explanation, repelled. I slowly came to see this as an imbalanced relationship, and of course the young female dancer, Emily Laird, was the more needful, but it was her commitment to that role that gave the piece some depth.
I was particularly impressed with her because she consistently maintained her focus on her partner, her gaze seeking him out, her expression sometimes turning to pained anticipation. As a result, while their coupling was intimate, their separation, for her, became anxious – particularly when her male counterpart performed a solo some distance from her. This played out to a painful conclusion when, repeating the tentative reach for each other from the opening sequence, her partner withdrew and walked away, leaving her bereft.
This was a lovely piece, graceful and sentimental, but it was Laird’s ability to provide an emotional context to her performance that added the complexity necessary to elevate the story and pay off the ending.
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