That Megan Abel and Erin Tope are the heart and soul of the group of dancers who perform as Phoenix Productions was very much in evidence on opening night of "Fireworks" at the air-conditioned Play Ground.
You can count on the thumbs of both hands the number of dances in this show that featured neither as choreographer and/or dancer. But since Tope heads for Texas in the fall and with Abel off to Chicago this winter, this is their final show in Duluth.
"Fireworks" consists of more than a dozen numbers danced to music ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Muse to Jules Massnet and Lady Gaga.
The signature style of Abel's choreography is that it embraces gravity as much as it tries to defy it. You can expect her dancers to end up on the floor, rolling, pivoting and dancing while lying down. Tope evinces similar horizontal sensibilities in her most creative piece, "Dreamers."
These days the tango is a required element of any dance show and "Fireworks" offers two. "Tango de Lumiere" is choreographed by Joe Swintek for the contortionist skills of his partner, April Katzaman. "BL Tango" is one of the fun pieces in the show, with pushing, shoving, slapping and kicking playfully juxtaposed with classical violin music.
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The other fun routines are "Silence is Golden," done without music beyond the rhythms the dancers produce themselves, and the lively swing number "Boogie Woogie," reflecting Abel's enchantment with '40s music.
Opening night was afflicted with some technical difficulties and the program alludes to people having dropped out. Additional dance numbers put together at the last minute result in some of the coordination not being as crisp as you would like to see, but there is no denying the passion of these dancers for their art.
The one guest artist who remains, albeit only on Thursdays, is Devra Livengood, a practitioner of circus tribal belly dancing. With a touch of the Robot, Livengood offered an exquisitely syncopated dance matched to the music of Milieu.
The same can be said for "Fever," where three pairs of dancers develop through movement the song's distinct elements of voice, rhythm and instrumentation.
The second act sees Tope and Abel literally let their hair down, beginning with "Because the Night," where the two are joined by Nick Huisman and Brady Tepley. This is followed by a pair of pieces, "Above" and "Experiment," where Abel and Tope choreograph each other.
I would have liked to have seen "Baby's Romance," the one piece both choreographed and danced by Tope and Abel together, come at the end of the show, simply because I consider it a fitting coda to their partnership.
Ironically, the choreography I have seen in stage shows in Duluth is becoming more devoid of dancing, driven more by character and less by opportunities to see hoofers strut their stuff. Losing Phoenix Productions creates a void for that segment of the local talent whose primary performance mantra is "Gotta Dance."
LAWRANCE BERNABO was, believe it or not, the principal male dancer in last month's "Humpty Dumpty: The Musical."
