INDEPENDENT CHOREOGRAPHERS’ SHOWCASE
Who wouldn’t feel like dancing after seeing Malika Moore’s Caribbean, a hand-clapping, jazzed-up version of traditional African dance? Maria Lanier-Gandy, Kirby Reed, and Vanessa Truvillion came on and literally shook their necklaces off to Michael Williams’s hopping bongo playing. All three are trained jazz dancers, and they mix Afro-Caribbean rhythms with a sleek, sexy jazz style beautifully.
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But Tye’s longer Level 21 is a fascinating exploration of feminine strength. Amy Bearden, Alexis Gearhart, Aimee Tye, and the choreographer, all wearing identical French braids and black spandex shorts and cropped tops, dance with a sense of defiance, a uniformed troup of noble women fighting some unknown menace. They dominate the stage with directed leaps and powerful leg swings, though they also never lose their vulnerability.
