Choreographer Heather Henderson-Gordon presented an ambitious collection of works last weekend, staging H at Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook from September 15 - 18. The presentation consisted of 12 pieces, featuring dancers from Henderson-Gordon's dance school, La Danse Caraibe and Noble Douglas Dance Company Inc.
H presented an array of dance styles, with the very first piece, Caribbean Sweet, marrying ballet steps with folk forms, like pique and bele, accompanied by Zouk and Latin American music. Eleven dancers, in long red tutus, shifted between bolt-upright balletic movements and saucy hip rotations. They went offstage and re-emerged in shorter skirts, moving languidly, seemingly more adept in the Caribbean/modern styles.
Elisha Bartels was next, in a solo performance entitled Stardust. To an upbeat piano rendition of the jazz standard, she twirled an umbrella with fluid movements and bouncy energy. In Serious Play, two lovers (Maia Morgan and Deon Baptiste in Friday's show) straddle passion and violence, twirling and intertwining their bodies. They seemed to struggle a bit with some of the lifts and more strenuous moves, but they managed to carry the piece overall. In Search was a dizzying dance of possession, to the beat of African hand-drums played onstage.
The piece featured about eight performers, with a convincing solos by Bartels and Ian Baptiste. The dancers, in white satin, rolled their bodies to the music, punctuated by staccato movements in time with the cutting drums. There were some very good performances here, with the two leads and their supporters giving it plenty of intensity.
Other notable pieces were Man, with near-bare-bodied male dancers moving in unison to percussive sounds, showing flexibility, poise, power and control; Flutter, where leafy green costumes on slow-twisting dancers created the illusion of jungle growth, as iridescent hummingbirds flitted by; and Fever, featuring Arlene Frank and Kevin Jack, in a dark, sexy dance with a dramatic final flourish.
Louanna Martin and Kwasi Romero were also featured. The finale, Fete, presented the whole cast in a party-like setting, complete with soca music and flashing coloured lights. There was minimal body contact in this fun, PG rated dance that ended the show on a light note.
H was staged to raise funds for the La Danse Caraibe Scholarship and Building Funds.
