Seeing a dance show at the Duluth Play Ground is an interesting experience. You are close enough to see the battered, bruised, bandaged and blackened feet of the barefooted dancers.
"Because We Believe 2009" is presented by Phoenix Productions. Directors Megan Abel and Erin Tope are the heart and soul of the show, with Abel having a hand in most of the choreography and Tope dancing in all but two of the numbers.
Those two pieces are "Faceless," in which Brady Tepley dons a Michael Myers mask and makes dance moves with a broom for his partner, and "Medley," where Sarra Vinnik, Nick Huisman and Tepley slouch their hats down over their eyes and go through a variety of dance styles to different musical pieces.
The highlight of the first half of the show is "Dancing," in which Tope is paired with Jason Lockwood. Abel's choreography pays acute attention to the song lyrics and Tope's emotional physicality is quite compelling. Tope invests as much in her facial expressions as she does in her dancing, taking great advantage of the venue's intimacy.
During the evening singer-songwriter Rachael Kilgour showcased two tracks off her self-titled debut album and will sell you a CD in the lobby. On opening night the talented Kilgour sang "Tell Me Washington" and "Baby, Maybe," but readily admitted that when you come to see the show she might pick another two songs.
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This first week the show is without the pre-show music and songs by the local punk band Jean Hagen. Consequently, the evening gets off to a slow start and the dancers do not have those songs to cover costume changes. The second half is intact and the difference is enough to strongly suggest that a musical stop-gap measure this week would be a big help.
"USO," danced by Tope and Tepley, was inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous "V-J Day in Times Square" photograph. Abel's choreography fleshes out the before and after of the sailor kissing the nurse and has great fun with the dancing style of the 1940s.
The title piece is the duet version of Andrea Bocelli's song done strictly ballroom style, including white gloves. The evening ends on a strong note with the "Roxanne" tango from "Moulin Rouge." Tope is again featured and shows her total trust in Lockwood as a dance partner.
The dancers outnumbered the audience on opening night, which is a shame. I would think every dancer in town would be at the Play Ground checking out the action as the Duluth dance scene continues to ferment quite nicely.
LAWRANCE BERNABO teaches in the communication department at the University of Minnesota Duluth and once danced the Time Warp on the Play Ground stage.
