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A lack of attention to detail is the first thing you notice when you walk into the BodyVox theater, where the unconventional ballet duo of Eric Skinner and Daniel Kirk are presenting their latest works. The wrinkled marley floor and backdrop, sloppily sewn and hung, cast everything that happens onstage in an amateur light. And amateur is one thing Skinner/Kirk is not.
The show presents five dances, choreographed by two distinct creative voices, across 15 years. But the result feels disjointed and distracted.
A male soloist in street clothes begins the show, dancing on a small, brightly lit platform that's surrounded by blackness. As he hovers on the edge, struggling to stay balanced, the choreography alludes to the precipitous quality of modern life. But that thread is dropped and never picked up again.
Three females in knee-length, billowy white blouses dance the second work, and then, in T(h)rilogy, a trio of male dancers is stripped down in minimal skin-toned costumes. The male performances come forward. Skinner—who choreographed, directed and costumed the first three pieces—shows his strengths when working with the male form, allowing his dancers to be graceful and strong. But the female movement, sylphlike with long, classical extensions, tries to match the dancers' ethereal costumes and ends up feeling like a slight to their powerful bodies.
What little cohesiveness established by Skinner's aesthetic in the first three pieces falls apart with the fourth.
Always—Kirk's new work for the show—is set to sugary tracks from Al Green, the Shirelles and Dionne Warwick. It's a blunt contrast to Skinner's modernism, with dancers outfitted in skinny lapels, bow ties, and '50s circle skirts. Intentionally awkward choreography provides humor, then a spectacularly sensual duet for two men turns to thoughtful commentary on social norms.
Skinner/Kirk saves its most ambitious new work for the second act, which is a single piece for six dancers titled Church. The score includes snippets from interviews with religious and laypeople about spirituality, humanity and artistry. While Skinner's choreography uses the space to maximum effect, even having a dancer hang from the rafters, it can't match the lofty aspirations set by the score.
With the bar set high for Skinner/Kirk's first new work since 2014, every wrinkle shows. Like the two musicians who live-score Church remaining unnecessarily lighted when they're not performing and are, say, drinking water.
See it: Skinner/Kirk is at BodyVox, 1201 NW 17th Ave., 229-0627. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 17-20; additional 2 pm show Feb. 20. $25-$64.
Willamette Week