In-Sight Dance Company: THIS IS...NEXT STOP...

Picture ballet snatched from the proscenium stage and thrown into your lap.  This is the sensation that In-Sight Dance Company’s performance of This Is…Next Stop… first gives in the quaint space at the Secret Theatre.

 

The original work choreographed by Artistic Director Leeanne M. G-Bowley, Assistant Director Donna Manganello and dancers Lina Kent and Tim Chester, is a ballet in three acts.  The collaborative nature of This Is…Next Stop… extends even further as the dance is set to the music of local talents Jerry Fuentes, Rachel Platten, Josiah Venter and The Paper Raincoat.  It is a mash-up of different styles of movement and sounds, often upbeat with a whimsical aire.

 

In the first act the connection between the company dancers is undeniable.  It’s more than the fact we are so close we can practically touch them, rather, it’s their eye contact, smiles and acknowledgement of each other while performing – a refreshing element to see.  Two of the company’s male dancers (Tim Chester and Cody Potter) share a beautiful duet at the end of the first act which gains its momentum after they blatantly look at each other as if they know something we don’t, suddenly welcoming a phrase of mutual movement.

The evening of turns, partnering and occasional pointe shoes really builds up to the third act – the true gem of the show where a more free and quirky side of the company’s movement is revealed.  The female dancers let Venter’s song “Enough to Go Around” envelope them, their hands pounding at their chest to the beat.

Dancer Mishi Castroverde shines in the trio with Chester and Potter, her leg extensions impressive.  The lighting (designed by Joe Cantalupo) creates a more sensual environment as she throws her arms and legs around Chester.  She arches back for a moment, before he guides her feet back to the floor so they can start circling, hands on the back of each other’s necks, their faces inches apart. From this evolves another notable duet between Chester and Potter – more acrobatic, almost combative, as they move forcefully at each other, lifting and pushing through the space.

Coming full circle, the final dance, “Sympathetic Vibrations” is a lighthearted ensemble.  The flouncy skirts and ribbons in their hair compliment the bouncy choreography of bumping hips to transition and layering the music with stylized clapping.

 

The opening night’s talk-back with the dancers, choreographers and musicians gave the audience some insight into the creation of this evening-length work.  It was particularly interesting to hear the musicians, audience members themselves, comment on the experience of seeing how their music was interpreted and the kind of movement set to it

.

This Is…Next Stop… was presented at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, New York from April 28^th through May 1^st.  For information on In-Sight Dance Company’s upcoming events like the “Queens Fringe Festival” and the “Suite Summer Festival” please visit www.insightdance.org.