Juilliard Dances 2017 4 World Premieres by Bryan Arias, Gentian Doda, Roy Assaf and Gustavo Sansano

Juilliard has commissioned original works by notable choreographers for the Juilliard Dance Division  since 2002.  This allows for all the students to experience working in a professional creative process. This Fall's program featured works by 4 international choreographers: Bryan Arias (b Puerto Rico), Gentian Doda (b Albania), Roy Assaf (b Israel) and Gustavo Sansano (b Spain).  Despite 4 different nationalities, three of the works were reminiscent of each other.  Assaf's work stood out from the others.  It was an absurdist theatrical performance.  The dancers made various odd monotone sounds in their group formation & humoresque movements.  One dancer sang vocals for "Can't Help Falling in Love".  The dancers recited numerous poetic incantations "If you put anger in it, it becomes anger" "If you put love in it, it becomes love" while moving in sync with their groups.  The dancers all wore androgynous yellow/flesh tone leotards.  One dancer intermittently skipped across the stage reciting "If you put a bow on it, it becomes a bow."  There's another saying, you can put earrings on a pig but it's still a pig.  I did not dig this ludicrous facsimile of dance.  I recalled seeing a work Assaf did for The LA Dance Project "II Acts for the Blind." These works were interchangeable.  I didn't care for either but there's something to be said for the lyrical text in "Can't Help...".  The 3 other works had a common meme of minimal movement, unified formations, androgynous costumes and sombre  glazed emoting.  The most creative of these was Arias' "The Sky Seen From the Moon".  This was the 1st piece on the program and there was a pre-performance onstage before the "official" start for the evening.  I liked the costuming for the dancers in varying billowy pants & tops in a palette of pale grays to indigo.  The costumes & dim lightings cast the illusion of moon's surface.  The small roughly shaped moon suspended from above was repeatedly pointed & alluded to; too obvious.  The 2nd movement the moon was raised and ominous, futuristic lights were lowered casting an interesting oppressive mood.  The surprising juxtapositions of a classical pas de deus was a welcomed change.  And, there was a fabulous male trio who intertwined in a fluid continuum.  Otherwise, if it weren't for the student's enthusiasm, I found the mostly similar aesthetic tedium.  Nonetheless, the joist of the evening was to enhance the Juilliard dance students' opportunities to work on a highly professional level, adapt & hone their skills, collaborate as a group, transcribe the artistic directors' visions and bring their unique interpretations into the mix.  A major objective was to adhere to a uniformed company making it difficult to single out individual performers.  But, I spotted a male dancer from the class of 2018 and a female dancer from the class of 2017 who shone brightly.