‘Sexy exuberance’ in motion

Once called “a dreamboat of a dancer” by the New York Times, David Parsons established his own company in 1987 with the help of lighting designer Howell Binkley. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most important dance companies in the world.
The New York-based Parsons Dance Company will perform March 25 to 27 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. For the last performance, the company will be joined by classical music’s celebrated Ahn Trio.
“What has always marked Parsons and his troupe has been their exceptional theatricality, sexy exuberance, and consequent accessibility,” writes a critic in Dance Magazine.
Marked also by athletic strength, grace and technical skill, the company maintains a repertory of more then 60 works, 20 of them with commissioned scores. Parsons has choreographed works for the New York City Ballet, the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the American Ballet Theater. He also choreographed the dance elements for the 2000 New Year’s festivities in Times Square.
As for the Ahn Trio, a 1987 article on Asian-American whiz kids in Time magazine launched their fame. The three Julliard-trained sisters, Angella on violin, Lucia on piano and Maria on cello, have premiered contemporary works by composers such as Eric Ewanan, Michael Nymana and Kenji Bunch. They also play classical music, but with an edgy touch, and have few inhibitions about meddling with rock and electronic influences.
The March 27 performance showcases four of the Parsons Dance Company’s pieces, accompanied live by the Ahn Trio.
The performance opens with music: The Ahn Trio will perform “Riders on the Storm” by the Doors, “The Heart Asks Pleasure First,” written by Michael Nyman, then “Primavera Portena,” by Astor Piazzolla.
The dance performance will then begin, starting with “Rise and Fall,” which is about the currents of everyday life. “Caught,” which follows, is a must-see. Parsons initially presented it in 1982 as a strobe-driven solo; each leap is framed in light, creating the effect of a dancer aloft in space. Marty Lawson will be performing this piece accompanied by Angella Ahn on violin. The music starts simply, but Ahn records her own bowing, which is played back for an exciting buildup of sound.
“Slow Dance” focuses on three couples dancing to music by Bunch. It’s a challenge of technique and acrobatic skill. The finale is “Swing Shift,” originally commissioned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. Bunch scored the music for the Ahn Trio.
On March 25 and 26, the company will be performing “The Envelope,” “Takademe,” “Sleep Study,” “Stand Back,” “Kind of Blue,” “Caught” and “Nascimento.” “Kind of Blue” was commissioned for a tribute to the 75th anniversary of the birth of jazz great Miles Davis. Milton Nascimento scored “Nascimento” in 1986 as a gift to the troupe after seeing a performance.

by Joe Yong-hee

Tickets are 30,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (02) 751-9606 or visit www.credia.co.kr.