Just another (glass) brick in the wall

Repertory Dance Theatre artistic director Linda C. Smith had some specific choreographers in mind when she was planning the first performance of the company's milestone 40th anniversary season.

"I knew it had to be special," Smith told the Deseret Morning News. "I knew it had to be memorable. And I knew the people I could trust to make this a wonderful performance."

For the presentation, under the umbrella title "Touchstone," Smith enlisted New York choreographer Zvi Gotheiner to create a world-premiere work, "Bricks," with New York composer Scott Killian.

In addition, Laura Deans' "Skylight" will be among the works to be danced, and Smith has recruited RDT alum Todd Allen and young dancers from the Virginia Tanner Children's Dance Theatre.

Killian said that "Bricks" is the fourth work he and Gotheiner have brought to RDT. "This is the fifth work I'm doing for RDT, and this is the 12th collaborated work I've done with Zvi."

"With our history," Gotheiner said, "we work together well. We sometimes don't have to say any words. We can look at each other and know what each other is thinking."

Gotheiner, whose "Chairs," and more recently, "Lapse," have become a solid part of the RDT repertoire, said "Bricks" is about the cycle of building, destruction and rebuilding. "I knew this performance was a significant milestone. But it is also just another performance in another day in a year. We are very honored to be part of this season. And it is a pleasure to create a work for this company. I thought about it and wanted to reflect a specific memory for the audience with a certain structure."

The word "Bricks" brings out immediate images of red cement blocks used in home and business construction. But in Gotheiner's hands, the bricks will be thick glass blocks.

"They look better," said Gotheiner with a smile. "They are transparent but cloudy and catch the light."

Gotheiner said working with the dancers is like coming home. "This is like a second home to me. I'm very comfortable coming here and working with the dancers. This is the second time I've worked with this particular line-up in the company. So I have an idea of how they work and I know their personalities."

He said that although he's the choreographer, the creating process is a collaborative effort. "We work together. I ask them questions. They ask me questions. I set something one day and we talk about it. Then the next day I'll look at it again. If I don't like it, I'll change it. But if I do like it, we'll run through it again and add things to it.