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Reviews |
Kaleidoscopic Meditations in Human Form By Jennifer Dunning New York Times, April 30, 2005 Lines twined into circles that became petals that shot out more lines that spread out in more and more intricate patterns. These were the bright-colored mandalas projected on the altar wall of St. Mark's Church on Thursday night when the Murray Spalding company performed. The eight "dance meditations" in "Mandalas 2005: 'The Changing Will Always Be ...' " accomplished approximately the same thing, as nine women in flowing red robes moved in increasingly intricate patterns and tempi. Ms. Spalding's vocabulary is fairly simple: a matter of walking, running slowly and circling and spinning, with the arm gestures gradually becoming more complex from dance to dance and the bodies dipping and lunging softly while keeping to strict patterns. The variations build so slowly and the patterns sprawl, shift and spread so smoothly that the changes are never startling. The eye is drawn in and mesmerized. How the women managed to keep to their paths and timing was unfathomable, but no effort was evident in their radiant performing. Facial expressions remained serene but not empty. The effect of Ms. Spalding's well-worked designs was enhanced by Evren Celimli's subtly gradated score of drums, drones and hums. Kathy Kaufmann's lighting was as subtle, at one moment bathing the altar in soft blue, with golden light washing a space framed by suddenly ghostly white columns. Susan Soetaert's costumes also included saffron shifts that the dancers slipped into as their own pulsating physical mandalas grew more intricate. A steady diet of these dances would be exhausting. But it is good to know they are there, like Fabergé eggs or glimmering ocean-washed stones, to be pulled out and examined at long but regular intervals. Sante Fe, NM, THE magazine Spalding's mandalas join the ancient tradition of group rituals that build community and honor spirit. Click here for full review Charleston, SC, The Post and Courier: The work is cerebral and intellectual, not in-your-face dance for the sake of dance, but dance that gently seeps into your soul. Washington, D.C., Washington Dance News: Murray Spalding opted for almost pure pattern. Almost, because there was dynamic development in her dancers' space crossings and retreats. A reiterative theme changed organically from dignified processional to a level just short of bravura intoxications. Mexico City, Mexico, El Dia: It is rare to see in Mexico a dancer who can hold the public's attention with such power; her concentration is contagious. Washington, D.C., Washington Dance View: ...ruthless formal beauty...objective and still so faceted, it is as if new language had been created in front of us, and instantly understood. Art in America: ...took on religious overtones. The semidarkness, the enveloping sound, the quasi-ritual absorption of the dancers, the yoga like alignment and attunement. . . were altogether closer to sacred than secular experience. |