Praised as "one of the most profound choreographers of his generation" by The New York Times, Ronald K. Brown and his award winning Evidence/A Dance Company continue to blaze the trail in creating significant works celebrating the universal importance of the African-American experience to world culture. Brown's latest creation One Shot was inspired by the beauty, sense of community, and legacy captured by the great African-American artist, photographer, and Pittsburgh native, Charles "Teenie" Harris, nicknamed "One Shot." Set to the music of Billy Strayhorn, Animo Consejo, and Ahmad Jamal, One Shot is a seamless fusion of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word.

8 pm, Saturday, May 10 Cullen Theater, Wortham Center

Of the eclectic mix of ballet, modern, and jazz pieces, one dance stood out in particular: "Nana's House". Sandra Organ-Solis choreographed this dance, which was set to music by Sweet Honey in the Rock, an all- female African-American a capella ensemble. Four African-American female dancers performed the piece, which was created for the school's Black History Assembly. Swaying rhythmically with the music, the dancers used representational movements to illustrate the lyrics of the song "There Were No Mirrors in My Nana's House". The dancers' motions told the story of a young girl whose grandmother protected her from society's prejudices about her dark skin and taught her to seek inner rather than outer beauty. The dance indeed took this theme to heart, as the movements were not the outwardly grand spins and poses of ballet, but rather the inwardly intimate movements of modern dance.

The piece "Night of the Dancing Flame" also exhibited beautifully uninhibited dancing by its performers. A contemporary jazz piece also choreographed by Sandra Organ-Solis, it evoked a feral night spent swirling around a fire in the woods. Dancer Sarah Pendergraft was particularly capable at embodying the wild mood of the piece.

The performance ended with a suite of Broadway-style dances, including Aaron Girlinghouse's rendition of "All That Jazz". The piece opens with dancer Caroline Farish dressed in tails, tights, and a top-hat, creating a stunning silhouette against the backdrop. The dancers then filter in doing Fosse-style, punctuated, and exacting movements. The overall effect is one that quite accurately calls to mind a fabulous evening in the New York Theatre District. Indeed, it is a wonderful end to an entertaining production celebrating the many forms dance - an experience that was equally as rewarding in a Houston high-school auditorium as it would have been in a Manhattan professional theater.

The Virginia Stuller Tatham Fine Arts Center
April 25, 2008, 7:30pm

by Amanda Austin

The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company's Spring Performance was what dance concerts are supposed to be like-entertaining, provocative, and packed with supporters. Artistic Director Michelle Smith introduced the concert with some fantastic news: the Houston Met is building a new studio! It's been five years in the making, and from the looks of the diagrams they unveiled at the show, it's going to be as polished as the company it will house.

The concert showcased the Met dancers' wide range of skills by incorporating several styles of dance-jazz, lyrical, theatrical, and contemporary. A standout performance was the premiere of the energetic Vicissitude. Cleverly choreographed by Eddy Ocampo, this one seemed to be the company favorite. What More, choreographed and danced by Joe Celej with Marlana Walsh, captured the heart with tender and beautiful partnering work. 11:11 featured the Met's fabulous four: Lauren Garson, Kiki Lucas, Jocelyn Thomas, and Marlana Walsh. The rest of the program offered solid dancing but lacked in energy and creativity.

The Wortham Center--Cullen Theater
April 25, 2008
8:00pm

Dance of Asian America (DAA), joined forces with Revolve Dance Company, Ad Deum Dance Company, and Barbara King Dance Company to treat a large crowd at Miller to an energetic evening of brilliant choreography, beautiful dancing, and fine cultural diversity.

The show provided a nice balance between Eastern and Western modern/ball room dance. What was striking was the diversity of dances within different regions of China. Each region portraits a certain style, accompanied with regional music, beautiful, elaborate, and colourful costumes. Each of the the Western companies performed a mixture of their previous and new pieces, to the delight of the audience.

The variety of the program, and the rapidity by which each dance followed another, was a credit to the organizers, and expertise of the production team.

The Miller Outdoor Theater
April 26th, 8:00pm

by Kamran Mansoury