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On
November 18 at the Joyce, Complexions Contemporary Ballet's
wonderfully pared down I Will Not Be Broken (World
Premiere) overshadowed the rest of the program, including the
overly busy Rise which is set to music by U2.
Performed by three dancers (Desmond Richardson, Sabra Perry and
Juan Rodriguez) and actress/singer S. Epatha Merkerson with the
simplest of sets and costumes, the piece brought down the house. I
Will Not Be Broken begins with Merkerson singing the
African-American spiritual 'Balm in Gilead':
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul
As she sings, Desmond Richardson, the company's Founding Artistic
Director and current Artist-in-Residence, performs a powerful solo
at the other end of the stage. Sitting on a plain wooden bench he
slowly rises, twists, turns and falls to the ground with intense
passion. Merkerson's
deep, rich voice amplifies as she repeats:
Sometimes I feel discouraged
And think my work's in vain
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again
Richardson strains with such force, puts so much energy into each
individual move, and displays so much passion that Merkerson's
words come alive with his every movement. He falls to the
ground, face down, fist clenched. At the same time, Perry
and Rodriguez perform a passionate duet. Nearing
the end of Gilead, Merkerson's voice softens. She inflects
each phrase with conviction, almost conversing with her
audience:
If you can't preach like Peter
If you can't pray like Paul
Just tell the love of Jesus
And say He died for all Merkerson
then segues into Alfred A. Duckett's 'Sonnet,' 'Sometimes I Feel
Like a Motherless Child,' 'Get Up, Blues,' and 'People Get Ready,'
while Richardson finishes his superb solo. A dancing human
gyroscope, his muscles glint with sweat - he has given everything
of himself. For a brief moment, the explosive fusion of
dance and song speaks only of triumph.
See:
Complexions,
at the Joyce through Nov. 30
Discover:
Complexions
Contemporary Ballet
Tags:
dance
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