Robinson dance pros steal the show

Robinson Ballet’s Spring Dance Concert annually showcases the talented young dancers that the company has nurtured from gawky preteens through gangly adolescence to graceful adulthood.

This year’s show gives more than 20 of the area’s best dancers the opportunity to shine on stage. While their youthful energy joyfully erupts on stage, it is the veteran performers that steal the show, their precise and evocative movements seared into the audience’s collective memory.

Using music from Philip Glass’ “Low Symphony,” Co-artistic Director Keith Robinson creates a stunningly sensuous dance in “Subterraneans.” Co-artistic Director and dancer Maureen Lynch proves that experience and precision outshine youthful exuberance.

“Subterraneans” is by far the best of the seven pieces that make up the concert. Robinson’s complex choreography is enhanced by Jeff Farrell’s rich lighting design to create an experience that permeates the senses.

It is Lynch’s beautiful and passionate performance that makes the piece so memorable. “Subterraneans” also is where the younger dancers give their finest performances. They seem to rise effortlessly above their abilities, following Lynch’s gifted lead.

Stevie Dunham, 19, shows that she has great potential as a choreographer in the opening number “ZA ZA RU.” It is fresh and dynamic with a humorous undercurrent.

However, “Do You Want to Dance?” is repetitive and immature, set to Ravel’s “Bolero.” In stark contrast to Robinson”s “Subterraneans,” Dunham fails at portraying sensuality and, instead, offers adolescent sexuality that draws titters rather than awe from the audience.

In recent years, the company has included live music in its spring concert. This year, pianist Masanobu Ikemiya, artistic director of the Arcady Music Society, played classical and ragtime pieces. The piano at Hauck Auditorium at the University of Maine, where the concert was performed last weekend, is in such dire need of reconditioning that it nearly ruined the performance.

Surely the new concert grand piano in the adjacent Class of 1944 Hall could have been moved into Hauck for a pianist of Ikemiya’s stature. Forcing Ikemiya to play such a substandard instrument undermined the dancers and negated the laudable goal of integrating dance and live music.

The Robinson Ballet’s Spring Dance Concert will be performed at 7 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at The Grand Auditorium, Ellsworth. For more information, call 667-9500.