By Sheila Abrams
Dubbed as a homecoming, the concert by the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company at the Bickford Theatre of the Morris Museum on Oct. 26 was a chance to say thanks and to show off a little for friends both old and new.
After 30 years of creative exploration and substantial critical success, the company, a North Jersey artistic treasure, was performing in a venue that, decades ago, was one of its first. Since then, they have performed throughout the United States and abroad. The company is also well-known for its educational initiatives, school residencies and community outreach.
Dorfman took the opportunity to recognize Morris County institutions, The Morris Council on the Arts and the Morris Museum, which have played significant roles in the history or the company.
The performance, by the company of 11 dancers, with guest artists, began with excerpts from Narcoleptic Lovers, by choreographer Doug Elkins. Elkins is something of a Renaissance man, his dance style incorporating elements of ballet, break-dancing and martial arts. His music tastes are as disparate, including Gavin Bryars, Mio Morales, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Sinead O’Connor, a combination one does not hear every day.
The dance, which seemed the carry a playful suggestion that sex and combat are closely related, showed off the strength, athleticism and virtuosity of the dancers, whose elegance of line was notable.
Dorfman’s own work, Love Suite Love, followed. Danced to a suite of songs by country diva Patsy Cline, the piece is a longtime favorite of CDDC audiences. Seven dancers explore the ups and downs of romance, coupling and uncoupling, with whimsy and wit. They make it all look deceptively easy. This company has always been particularly distinguished by the strength of the women, frequently central to the choreography.
The final, and most problematic, piece of the afternoon was Interior Designs. This multimedia work was performed to an original commissioned score by Sarajevo native Svjetlana Bukvich, which featured vocal performances by a large group of guest singers.
The entire theater became the performance space, using video projections to tattoo the dancers’ bodies. Nor were they all on the other side of the proverbial “fourth wall” that normally separates audience from performers. The person in the seat behind you might at some point be revealed as part of the performance. This can be fascinating as well as disconcerting. And for some in the audience at the Bickford, it was literally difficult, if not impossible, to see.
Approximately thirty years along on its creative journey, the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company is still breaking new ground and offering the unexpected. We look forward to whatever is coming next.
