Dance builds on Ririe-Woodbury tradition

"SURFACES," Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, April 22, additional performances through April 25, 801-355-2787

The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company chose some intricate works for the 45th anniversary season closer "Surfaces."

On Wednesday morning, the company performed the precision and intensity of Doug Varone's "Strict Love" to the all-encompassing, atmospheric surrealism of excerpts from Susan Marshall's "Cloudless" to the driving physicality of RWDC artistic director Charlotte Boye-Christensen's "Degrees of Separation" for an audience of appreciative area students.

The public performances will take place April 24-25. As an added bonus, the performance on April 24 will feature a one-time bonus improvisational work danced by 30 RWDC alumni.

On Wednesday morning, the young audience was able to see why RWDC has been around for more than four decades.

Here's why.

First out of the gate is the revival of Varone's 1994 "Strict Love."

The work, which starts with casual walk ons to the music of CBS-FM radio, quickly becomes a study in movement and sound dynamics.

The vibrancy of the dancers brings alive the intensity of the juxtaposition of robotic elements, emotional movements and shouted interjections.

In addition, the lighting, designed by David Ferri, adds dimension to the movements as small and subtle as finger twitches to full-body lunges.

Speaking of lighting, Mark Stanley's design for Marshall's "Excerpts from Cloudless" not only highlights the dancing, but the stage crew as well.

Marshall's work, which is making its Utah premiere, features seven vignettes that deal with the human experience. connection, isolation, interaction, humor and a touch of poignancy in a sometimes dreamy work. There are sections in this work that may be a little too provocative for younger audiences, however, the overall effect is uplifting and exciting.

Rounding out the performance is Boye-Christensen's 2005 work "Degrees of Separation." The driving and minimalistic score of Steve Reich's "Different Trains" nearly becomes an audio overload as the dancers — Caine Keenan, Jo Blake, T.J. Spaur, Elizabeth Kelley, Andrea Dispenziere and Erin Lehua Brown — abstractly take on different stages of World War II.

There was the light-steps of pre-war optimism to the push-and-shove devastation of the Holocaust to the solemn post-war commitment to continue walking toward the light.

Through it all, Boye-Christensen's trademark arm-led spins and full-body gestures were scattered throughout this hypnotic work.

For 45 years, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company has created and performed dance for everyone. "Surfaces" continues this rich tradition.

E-mail: scott@desnews.com