Dance Kaleidoscope's "America, The Modern"

America, The Modern suffers from
too much form, not enough function

Dance Kaleidoscope’s latest program, America, The Modern, really should be titled Indiana, The Modern, as three local choreographers lend their talents to the hour-and-a-half-long program.

The brilliant world premiere of “Dreams Converging” by Butler University professor of dance Cynthia Pratt lulls the audience into attention with a deafening silence brought on by a lack of music for the first eight minutes of the program. With the house lights still on, the dancers enter the stage from various directions in a slow-motion walk that culminates in the dancers moving in waves as a unit.

Though some members of the audience expressed during the choreographer chat at intermission that Nicholas Owens’ world premiere of “Callused Hands” captured the frantic pace of modern life, others felt it was too random. The superb dancing, and normally dazzling lighting and costuming by Laura Glover and Cheryl Sparks did little to illuminate the piece.

“iconoGlass,” a now-classic signature piece choreographed by artistic director David Hochoy, has a spiritual bent with the impressions of stained glass made through lighting. Like the movements, reminiscent of statues on Thai temples and paintings inside Egyptian tombs, it stands the test of time.

Though the three dances were well-matched in tone and movement, the overwhelming similarities gave the overall program an air of monotony. First-timers — especially those looking for more of a “story” — also might find such a purely contemporary program a frustrating study of the esoteric.

America, The Modern continues through Sunday. Times vary. In recognition of the state of the economy, all adult tickets are priced at $20, a significant savings off the regular $21-$37 ticket price, and Sunday’s matinee is $10 to allow families to attend. Call (317) 635-5252 or log on www.dancekal.org.

by Rebecca R. Bibbs