Blue Ceiling dance and Susan Kendal/Pocket Alchemy – Ava/Chroma

by Paula Citron.
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Ava/Chroma
Blue Ceiling dance and Susan Kendal/Pocket Alchemy Theatre
Choreography by Susan Kendal, Kyle Abraham and Lucy Rupert
Performed by Jennifer Dallas, Matthew Romantini, Rupert and Abraham
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The program called Ava/Chroma at the Theatre Centre was produced by Susan Kendal and Lucy Rupert and featured works by both choreographers. Their guest was the very talented choreographer/dancer Kyle Abraham from New York.

Kendal’s A|Chromatic used taped interviews with her mother and aunt to portray the state of complete colour-blindness that afflicts both women performed by Jennifer Dallas and Rupert. Bassist John MacLean supplied the edgy music and John Hand did the imaginative lighting. The movement, if a bit overlong, had just the right touch of bewilderment and defiance.

Abraham’s solo Inventing Pookie Jenkins was a very clever segue from a sensitive young man to a hip hop gangsta, from reality to black stereotype, from grace to caricature. Rupert and Romantini explored layers of emotions as the romantic/unromantic couple at the heart of Rupert’s happy endings are still endings. He was smitten but she wanted freedom.

The evening was a class act from start to finish although the pieces were very different.