None of that jazz in Dance Center finale

Photo by Alvis Upitis Danny Buraczeski’s Jazzdance, which ran May 1—3 at the Dance Center, veered away from the traditional ballet, lyric, tap and jazz dance forms.

By Stephanie Sarto
Assistant A&E Editor

Danny Buraczeski, a 20-year dance veteran, brought his Jazzdance to Columbia as part of the 2002-2003 season finale of the Dance Center.

The nearly two-hour program, which ran from May 1 to May 3, comprised of three basic components: “Las Quatro Estaciones [The Four Seasons],” “Ezekiel’s Wheel” and “Swing Concerto.” It was three very different themes, but all had the same recognizable contemporary elements.

Buraczeski’s newest work, “Las Quatro Estaciones,” incorporates classical music, fluid motions and traditional dance steps. Buraczeski checks his contemporary flare at the door for a more traditional style. The fluidity of the dancers’ bodies move with more of the lyrical/ballet style. Half-naked dancers lined upstage with their back to the audience, while writhing and stretching, exposing defined and toned back muscles. The dancers moved methodically to the tango sounds of Astor Piazzolla, gorgeously interpreted on tape by Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica.

The second portion of the performance, “Ezekiel’s Wheel,” was more in line with an open-mic poetry reading than a dance performance. With a single spotlight illuminating Joanne Horn, the soloist, a eulogy was read in the background. This continued for nearly the entire second act.

The rest of the company did, for a few minutes, join the stage for a depressing rendition of death. It’s a dance full of images—a dancer alone in a spotlight, dancers taking a knee with a sense of mourning and a circle of never-ending movement that unexpectedly disappears. When all of the dancers joined the stage, a more hypnotic continuous drumming beats away in the background. But then the deep, bass voice returned, delivering the eulogy again, making audience members weep.

“Swing Concerto,” the final piece of the program began with the familiar horn section of “Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing.” The performance featured quirky renditions of “jump-jive-’n’-wail” dancing, nothing remotely similar to traditional swing dance. The offbeat costumes consisted of mismatching plaids, prints and vibrant neon colors, and were more of a headache than a highlight to the performance. The dancers did a lot of random chasséing across the stage and there was barely any partner dancing, jumps or throws.

This form of “dance” veers from the traditional forms of dance—ballet, lyrical, tap and jazz. Choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Martha Graham and George Balanchine have renowned works that the dance industry celebrates and recognizes as a tool for future choreography, none of which were on display during the evening. Much of the troupe’s dancing involved arm flapping, but not much legwork was done.

Buraczeski has invested his career in the jazz genre. And he even said that his inspiration comes from choreographers like Fosse, Balanchine, Jack Cole and Gene Kelly. However, it was not apparent in any of the pieces performed by Jazzdance.

Dance is meant to move the audience, to inspire and draw the audience into the performance, but with the lack of a definitive style, Buraczeski’s Jazzdance falls flat.