ARTS

6-

Wednesday, October 1, 1980

The Michigan Daily-


Keeping up with the dance revolution

By AUDREY KRASNOW
incredibly exciting, refreshing
inspirational to witness art
oping from front-row, center. The
dance has, of course, taken off in
iltitude of directions, dating par-
arly from the modern dance
lion against classical ballet earlier
century. Early modern dance
utely rejected the rigid structure
raditional technique of ballet, un-
pointe shoes and liberating
all movement. Although the two
sophies of dance have been fused
HURRY.-
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-Andrew Sarris.
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ROBERT $150
DUVALL s:30

together in recent years through the
creative genius of such artists as
George Ballanchine and Eliot Feld, the,
modern dance movement continues to
develop on its own. As current con-
tributors to the modern dance
evolution/revolution, Susan Matheke
and Willie Feuer, teachers,
choreographers and performers in U of
M's School of Music,offered a front-row
perspective of art-in-progress to those
who attended their concerts, "dances
for 2,"Sept. 26-28.
The concert, in which all pieces were
choreographed and performed by
Matheke and Feuer, were underscored
by the intense energy and concen-
tration found at the core of both dan-
cers. Matheke and Feuer 'were mem-
bers of the Viola Farber Dance Com-
pany of New York for many years.

Viola Farber has earned a reputation
as a modern dance pioneer whose style
is marked by boundless energy and
perpetual change and innovation.
Matheke and Feuer have learned from
Farber and have gone on to develop their
own enchanting style.
SUNDAY NIGHT'S performance
began with "Moonsuite," a 1979 Feuer
creation. This was a delightful piece of
old-time romance, danced to playful
piano renditions of "Blue Moon", "By
the Light of the Silvery Moon", and
"Moonlight and Shadows". Dressed in
light blue dancesuit and white gauze
tuxedo, Feuer began alone, dancing in-
der a "blue moon." While his ex-
pression was one of serious wistfulness,
quick comic movements interspersed
throughout willowy turns and chasses
belied the romantic comedy. Following


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Feuer, Matheke's solo perpetuated the
comic mood as her expression revealed
longing while her feet danced happily
across the floor. In the final third of the
dance, Matheke and Feuer danced as
the enraptured couple, gazing intently
into each other's eyes. Of course, their
classic romantic progressions were in-
terrupted by unexpected staccato
movements so that the humor was
never out of sight.
After charming the audience with
"Moonsuite," Matheke and Feuer
moved into "The Crane's Waltz,"
which Feuer choreographed in 1978.
This began rather slowly, unfolding the
seeming birth, growth and final flight of
two cranes. Pianist Robert Pazur and
soprano Constance Barron provided the
music, the piano supplying the basic
waltz tempo while Barron's lilting voice
supplied a rather enchanting wordless
melody. Clothed in plain grey body
suits, the dancers began by standing
together, slowly poking at the world
around them, exploring the space with
languid, though tentative movements.
After each found his/her wings, they
flew off together working their lengthy
limbs, emulating the long, fluid motions
of cranes in flight.
FROM LIGHT-HEARTED love and
romantic birds, the mood became fran-
tic and undoubtedly serious with
Matheke's 1980 creation "Chill Fac-
tor." Dressed in contemporary street
clothes, she in a rose dress, he in a grey
conservative suit and tie, Matheke
opened the work by assuming center
stage, shivering and taking off in a
frantic, desperate run. Feuer, too, was
running frantically, though indepen-
dent of Matheke. Pazura and Barron
accompanied them at intervals, Barron
singing Rachmaninoff songs of disin-
tegrating love and unfulfilled quests.
For much of the dance, the only accom-
paniment was Matheke's ragged
breathing. They danced separately
together, in adagios broken by sharp
stabs and unexpected punches. Though
Feuer was consumed in his own frantic
search, oblivious to Matheke, she shot
I occasional inquiring glances at him. At
' last, each came to a standstill and their
eyes finally met. To the sound of her
harsh, labored breathing, they con-
tinued the quest together. Whether
Matheke's breathing was to be heard or
not is not certain. Yet,it added to the in-
tensity of the piece that suggested the
present-day struggle for love and
fulfillment as well as the problem-
ridden nature of many current relation-
ships.
Perhaps the most "typically
- modern" dance was Feuer's 1980 piece
"Illinois Plains." Although undeniably
intriguing, it may be considered
typically modern (if there is such a
pass up /
your chance.
Help prevents
birth defect3

i

'

Pictured above are Susan Matheke and Willie Feuer as they appeared in
"Moonsuite" from the modern dance concert., "Dances for 2" at the School
of Music. The piece was choreographed by Feuer.

MICHAEL
O'KEEFE
THEGREAT (PG).
Wed-1:05, 3:10,5:25,
7:30,9:35
, Tues, Thurs-7:30, 9:35
With this entire ad -
one admission $1.50 any film
Good Mon. thru Thurs.
This coupon valid thru 10 / 2 / 80

thing) because its true or intended
meaning was, at best, uncertain. The
music was modern electronic sounds
that were reminiscent of spaceships
wizzing by and perhaps miscellaneous
noises one would hear if one was adrift
in space without the benefit- of a
spaceship. Matheke and Feuer wore
grey body suits with dingy globular
markings along one side. Illuminated
by sidebeacon-like flood lights, they
traversed the floor caught in a trance-
like adagio. It was as though they were
drawn slowly across the floor by a force
which attracted their unwilling bodies.
They moved independent of one another
until, near the end, they eventually
joined hands and the "music" stopped.
As if suddenly liberated, they broke into
movement, away from the force and off
on their own, together. This was
definitely the heaviest and most baf-
fling point of the concert; whether they
were simply grey matter, aliens or
nuclear holocaust survivors was as un-
discernable as the significance of the
title.
FOR AN absolutely charming and
witty close, Matheke and Feuer presen-
ted Matheke's "Don't Rag Me," which
she created in 1979. This dance was as

energetic and clear cut as "Illinois
Plains" was slow and murky. The tale
of a woman yearning for the attention
of an obviously disinterested- man, it
was a cat and mouse dance marked by
playful ragtime. Matheke, who tried to
"catch" Feuer, broke fluid movements
with staccato jabs and contractions,
throwing Feuer sidelong glances and
occasional angry glances. Feuer was
caught up in a world of his own, leaping,
twirling and lunging quite unaware of
anyone else at all. When he finally
noticed Matheke, she broke into a
cheshire smile; he, in turn, held his
head. But this was a happy, modern day
love story and their movements united
as they finished in an embrace.
The concert was entirely successful
in that it was entertaining as well as in-
novative and thought-provoking.
Matheke and Feuer captured the
audience from the start and treated
them to an excellent presentation of
modern dance. Still, the , most im-
pressive characteristic of this perfor-
mance was the concentrated energy
that infused every moment in every
piece; it is precisely this energy that
perpetuates the modern dance
revolution.

Marley show cancelled

Bob Marley and the Wailers' October
11th concert at Hill Auditorium has
been cancelled, the Office of Major
Events announced Tuesday. No
rescheduled date was planned.
Perhaps the widest-known exponent
of reggae music, the Jamaican singer-.

guitarist was said to be suffering from
exhaustion following an extensive
European tour and is under doctor's or-
der to postpone his Arerican ap-
pearances for at least two months.
Tickets for the Ann Arbor concert are
refundable at the place of purchase.



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