Swiss dancers get close

DANCE REVIEW

By Sharon Nagy, On-line Forty-Niner

March 24,1998

It's not too common to see men touching each other. But, caressing, holding each other up, pushing and pulling were all part of the Swiss dance company Compagnie Philippe Saire's first act of "Le Palindrome" Saturday night in the University Theatre.

The performance was a fundraiser for the California Repertory Company.

Four men, dressed in crop-tops and karate-type pants, explored the concept of space by using each other to bounce and move off of.

Their moves echoed formality, as they danced to music by Henrik Gorecki, and the grave feelings were enhanced when the music would often stop so they could dance in silence.

The dancers seemed to share a strong bond, often gazing into each other's eyes as if they had been friends forever.

The second dance thankfully delivered some energy with an entertaining and fast-paced work. Five pieces of music supported the performers amid a transparent red-and-orange screen.

Dancers performed in front of and behind it, creating a sensual, secretive feeling. The dancers told humorous stories from their childhoods, yet since three of the four spoke in French, the laughter was spread thin.

For the first time during the evening, the artists seemed to have fun in their third dance, investigating what would happen with the use of two long metal arches, designed by Carmen Perrin, which would sag and bounce back up at the dancers' discrepancy.

The production's six entertaining dancers were Karin Grasset, Corinne Rochet, Massimo Biacchi, Laurent Coderch, Nicholas Pettit and Philippe Saire, who also choreographed the trilogy. Costumes were designed by Jocelyne Pache.