July 30, 2008
Dance to the ‘Elements’
Keigwin brings earth, fire, air and water to the Joyce stage
by elizabeth zimmer / metro new york
JUL 30, 2008
Heads up! Larry Keigwin, the premier choreographer of the MTV generation, is at the Joyce today (twice!) and Friday. If you miss this hoot of a performance, you have only yourself to blame.
Keigwin + Company dancers Ashely Browne (Photo: )
The 36-year-old Keigwin, from Wading River, Long Island, has the body of a gym rat, the face of a juvenile delinquent and dance technique to die for. His 5-year-old ensemble, making its Joyce debut, is equally skilled. Their new “Elements,” organized around themes of water, fire, earth and air, goes by in a gust of quick takes, cutting deeper than you’d expect.
“Water,” for example, looks like a romp at a beach club, with hunky guys and tidy maids serving the every need of aristocrats. Using towels and bottled water as props, Keigwin reveals the brattiness of spoiled rich kids. A quartet for the lovely Ying-Ying Shiau, in a polka-dot bikini, and three guys in terry robes punctuates every verse of Cole Porter’s sexy “Let’s Do It.”
Though the dances are brief and funny, they have a deeply satisfying physicality. To accompaniments ranging from Mozart to hip-hop to Perry Como, they reveal the essence of each element. “Fire” shows us flickering fingers and the satisfactions of smoking, revealed by some glammed-up superheroes. “Air” salutes the ’50s with smashing lifts by a pilot and a crew of flight attendants.
There are a few misfires, like a balloon climax at a moment that calls for glitter. In the “Earth” section, represented by a clutch of lizards crawling on a strip of Astroturf, Liz Prince’s witty costumes almost steal the show; it’s hard to see movement on bodies clothed in clashing plaids. But overall, “Elements” is a delight.