The link between art and spirituality is deep and complex. For generations, choreographers have strived to document this relationship through the movement language. Choreographers like Ruth St. Dennis and Alvin Ailey understood the tenets of spirituality and were deft dance-makers who used movement as a tool to examine metaphysical concepts.
Another artist who has long incorporated spiritual themes into his work is local choreographer Alonzo King, the Artistic Director of Lines Ballet. Lines recently began their two-week fall season at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts [YBCA] presenting two new works, Migration, The Hierarchical Migration of Birds and Mammals (a US premiere) and Sky Clad (a San Francisco premiere).
The first piece of the evening was Migration, a piece about evolution and "the feeling of home that is born into us, the one that guides us wordlessly back to our wondrous origins." With Migration, we see that King has expanded on his usual vocabulary of push-and-pull partnering and quirky gestures, creating a language that is awkwardly beautiful. At the beginning of the piece, the dancers appear to be having choreographic conversations reminiscent of a documentary on Animal Planet. It's clear that King has challenged himself not to use any conventional ballet vocabulary. Watching these sequences is like listening to a beautiful foreign language that's fascinating, even if you don't understand. The sound score is by Pharoah Sanders, Miguel Frasconi and Leslie Stuck, a pastiche of music and bird sounds that are evenly integrated. The choreography and sound score were especially successful when the ensemble elegantly migrated across the Yerba Buena stage, resembling a flock of wetland cranes.
The Lines dancers are in fine form, exquisitely trained and articulate. It's clear that the dancing transcends the idea of technique, with each dancer appearing to be a manifestation of energy and clarity. Robert Rosenwasser and Colleen Quen's costumes were beautifully brief, and Axel Morgenthal's lighting design created an unobtrusive framework for King's intricate choreography.
Raga scores
While Migration was a linear exercise, Sky Clad was an entirely different kind of experience. Knowing the context of the work is sometimes crucial to understanding the intent of the choreographer, and this piece is no exception. Sky Clad is a collaboration with Hisdustani vocalist Rita Sahai, featuring a score of ragas from Northern India. The program notes document the idea of heard sounds ("struck") and unheard sounds ("unstruck") and "the dancers moving to both forms of music, creating a third harmony."
Sky Clad is an example of how difficult it is to appreciate the role of spirituality in contemporary dance. In the piece, there appeared to be a strong relationship between the musicians playing live and the dancers performing on stage. Each dancer was committed to the moment and seemed like they were having an authentic experience. It was unclear what the role of the viewer was. At points it actually seemed incidental that there were witnesses to the experience. Was a third harmony the only reason why King created Sky Clad? Was it also his intention to share his interpretation of beauty? Was another intention for the viewer to have a spiritual experience while watching? Unfortunately, there wasn't a clear choreographic structure to frame Sky Clad, merely an extended series of solos, duets and group work that appeared to follow the music. Eventually, after much meandering the piece came to a close, leaving the viewer wondering, "What was the point?"
Lines Ballet, November 9-11 at 8 p.m. YBCA, 700 Howard St., SF. Tickets ($20-$50): (415) 978-2787 or www.linesballet.org.