Nederlander Dans Theater Dazzles at City Center with Topical Performances and Top Talent

The Dutch Nederlander Dans Theater was founded in 1959.  It was an experimental an edgy dance theater that has continued to convey innovative contemporary performances.  Highly awarded and regarded internationally, the Nederlander's dancers are comprised of elite dancers & artists throughout the world.  Some dancers are from the US & the Netherlands and others hail from Japan, France, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil, England, Portugal, Germany, Ireland, Iran, China, Belgium & Taiwan.  Consider the broad amalgamation of artists and note how amazing this collaboration results in a pinnacle of creative artistry.  Nederlander continually alters the landscape of contemporary dance with  electrifying new conventions & excellence.  Two pieces that premiered this year in their repertoire were performed Friday night: "Woke up Blind" choreographed by Marco Goecke (b. Germany) & "The Statement" choreographed by Crystal Pite (b. Canada.)  "The Statement" exuded a demonic aura of fallen angels such as Lucifer.  Beings who are defiant, rebellious; choosing evil over virtue.  The dancers were in all black but an for a mesmerizing female dancer dressed in demonic red velvet pants.  The dance was also interpreted as lovers' rebuff, leaving heartbreak & isolation in its wake.  The dancers agile movements were therianthropic, shapeshifting of humans into sightless bats.  The nimble,  stylistic contortions were exhilarating.  The music seemed to emanate from within the dancers outward.  The complex combinations of movement in "Woke up Blind" were eye-opening and revelatory, reflecting deeply rooted human emotions. Crystal Pite's "The Statement" is dance theater in its most formidable form.  The combustible topical choreography combined text, technique and movement for an omnipotent anti-war presentation that is provocative & thought-provoking.  Four dancers dressed in street close hover over a conference table with a dark tunnel-like structure hovering menacingly overhead.  The four stylishly slithering & pouncing dancers are imbued with individual dialect. Without the dancers speaking, we know instinctively which character is being represented.  The seemingly odious, but benign metaphor for disclaiming responsibility of a business debacle morphs into a tormented finger-pointing for failing to intervene in bloody conflicts. "How did it get to this." "I was just following orders." The dancers moved organically over & under the table emoting despair, vindictiveness and pending doom.  Pite's gripping piece deserves a Nobel Prize. "The Statement" is artistry at its finest & most inspiring.  It's a noteworthy social declaration for peace.