Gehring Dancetheatre - Autumn Dance Form

Robert Abrams

November 7, 2003

Heather Gehring and her dance company presented an evening of dance performances at the Diva Lounge in Montclair, New Jersey.

The evening started with a Salsa lesson and general dancing followed by a series of performances in a wide range of styles.

A Blues Piece, with music by Billy Holiday, was danced by Erin Pride with strength and sensuality. She was clearly a trained dancer, and the choreography was clearly art, but the movement looked natural. The choreography made creative use of levels with the assistance of a small table.

A Traditional Lindy Hop, with music by Harlem Airshaft, was danced by guest performers Joe Palmer and Nicole Frydman. Their dancing was self-assured. They had great musicality. True to traditional Lindy Hop, they honored the breaks in the music. They were exuberant, yet smooth. Lindy Hop is often danced in a style both exuberant and wild. There is nothing wrong with exuberant and wild, but I thought exuberant and smooth was an appealing choice.

A Modern Piece, with music by Hildegard von Bingen, was danced by Emily Edwards, Heather Gehring, Jamie Harrison and Erin Pride. The dancers were like a dark flower unfolding to the strains of spiritual music. The choreography showcased one difficult balancing act after another.

An Oriental Dance was danced by guest performer Irene Adrove-Kennedy. She had great isolations. Her movement was supple, yet angular. In deference to modern sensibilities, she left her belly button uncovered. (Traditionally, "belly" dancers wore costumes with a strip of fabric covering their navel as a mark of modesty, even if much else was revealed.)

A Blues Piece, with music by Ella Fitzgerald, was danced by Heather Gehring. This work was more energetic than the first Blues Piece, but also made use of levels and balance. There were moments when she evoked classic Greek statues in the sense that she evoked the same purity of form, capturing the essence of motion in stillness.

A Salsa Piece, with music by Carabali, was danced by Jamie Harrison and guest performer Jimmy Anton. They were clearly having fun. They danced with non-stop motion. Their attire was styling. Above all else, they were mu suave.

An Argentine Tango, with music by Norah Jones, was danced by Heather Gehring and guest performer Eduardo Goytia. The music was uplifting. The dancers were somewhere between moody and swept away. Heather has a consistent movement tonality across all of the styles she dances. You can see something of the truth about her person through her dance.

Gehring Dancetheatre may be a relatively new dance company, but their art was consistently high quality and pleasing.

Gehring Dancetheatre will be performing next on November 15 and 16, 2003 at Whittemore Theatre at Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont. For more information call 973-497-0888 or go to www.gehringdancetheatre.org.

Gehring Dancetheatre and guest artists after the show: Erin Pride, Emily Edwards, Irene Adrove-Kennedy, Jimmy Anton, Jamie Harrison, Heather Gehring, Nicole Frydman, Eduardo Goytia, Joe Palmer.