“Helix,” an ambitious, collaborative evening of dance presented Nov. 14 at the Lobero Theatre by the Santa Barbara-based Nebula Dance Lab, included pieces by two other local companies and a reprise of Nebula’s full-length “Through the Looking Glass.”
The show opened with “Sonnet of Limbs” (click here for a review from the spring), choreographed by Ninette Paloma and performed by the strong, vibrant dancers of her Santa Barbara Centre for Aerial Dance. The redux performance seemed even sharper and more breathtaking than it did in May.
Set to solo piano by Tomek Kolczynski, rhythmic clapping by Steve Reich and early jazz by Duke Ellington, “Sonnet of Limbs” finds dancers alternately taking flight on a trapeze, hoops and thick ropes.
While the air work inspired an audience member nearby to exclaim, “I want to do that!” the earth-bound movement was at least as captivating.
Paloma’s lexicon is truly unique, featuring flexed feet, bent-back arms and spines, with intricate, rapid series of movements punctuated by pauses that let you savor what you just saw. Graceful and angular, surprising and witty, the piece offers pure pleasure. Simple, skin-toned costumes keep the focus on the choreography and the dancers’ prowess.
Two short Nebula pieces by Shelby Lynn Joyce and Meredith Cabaniss featured classical modern movement and ensemble dancing that proved the form is alive and well, and still wonderful.
Romantic and lush, Joyce’s “Individuation” brought eight dancers to the stage in flowy, deep red, short dresses, beautifully lit by Cabaniss and set to Philip Glass piano.
Modern dance elements predominated: swoopy, elongated limbs; swirly back-and-forthing; daring body slides on the floor; flat-footed walking that rebukes ballet’s tippy-toed promenades; even long hair worn down.
Despite the title and terrific featured solos, the work emphasized the beauty of pairs and ensemble dancing.
“Gravity [is a Social Construct]” choreographed and costumed by Cabaniss, followed. This time, the corps wore simple, pale blue pedestrian attire: shorts, pants and tank tops.
Dimly lit and set to ethereal, electronic music, the work unfolded in front of a giant video of a dancer moving against a mirror.
Lush, earthy movement gave visual meaning to a note in the program, reminding us not to spend too much time in our heads — “‘Gravity’ takes the pseudo-intellectualism that creeps into the way we perceive ourselves and others, the cleverness our society values, and turns it upside-down.”
The second act closed with a solo by Santa Barbara Dance Theater’s Christina Sanchez: “Cante Flamenco,” a vibrant 1944 work by Martha Graham Co. member Jane Dudley.
A petite, potent dancer performing barefoot in a full-skirted, floor-length dress, Sanchez possesses both the requisite duende and Graham technique to blend the two styles.
The third act reprised Nebula’s adaptation of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
Cabaniss choreographed along with Nebula founder and “Helix” producer Devyn Duex and Karyn Laver, a local tap choreographer and owner of The Dance Network, which has moved into its new studio space in the Magnolia Shopping Center.
Performed to live Celtic-inspired music by multi-instrumentalist and founder of the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara Adam Philips, accompanied on harp and cello, the work was primarily made up of Nebula’s signature modern movement.
Lauren Serrano as Alice performed many scenes solo. She is graceful and strong, and we saw a lot of that set to polite harp and flute tunes.
Unison ensemble dancing, lively duets and trios provided depth. Tangy digressions — the tap-dancing Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, a crew wearing short hoodie-unitards moving stiffly in yoga down-dog, and a stylized slo-mo fight scene — offered refreshing counterpoints to the flowy moves.
After two already satisfying acts, “Looking Glass” was pie after Thanksgiving dinner — delicious, but hard to digest.
— Noozhawk contributor and local arts critic Judith Smith-Meyer is a round-the-clock appreciator of the creative act. She can be reached at news@noozhawk.com. The opinions expressed are her own.