As the work progressed the movements grew more full bodied, with legs swinging, and musical chair-like switching of places. The dozen chair dancers in an arry of street clothes, looked as diverse as their individualized styles and comical, exasperated, and entranced facial expressions.

They move into a line downstage rippling their body up and out of the chair to the floor and soon one-by-one stand and convulse and twist, leaving the audience to wonder who this motley crew is and where they are going.

A calming pale green backdrop takes over for Trio, danced by Aaron Carr, Kile Hotchkiss and Emily Schoen, which was commissioned in 2011 by Works & Process at the Guggenheim. A departure from Keigwin’s comfort zone of underlying humor found in the quirkiness of movement, this piece is classic and clean-cut. In their chrome gladiator skirts, the three dancers travel in curving paths, the movement phrases rippling until they suddenly make contact - pulling and extending their bodies away from one another.

Contact Sport marked the second World Premiere of the evening showcasing a quartet of playful, flirty school boys moving to a compilation of the raw, sultry lyrics of Eartha Kitt. A streaming curtain of blue silver streamers serves as the backdrop to their organic interactions involving gestures and passed contact. The lighthearted dynamic between the four is emphasized in humorous moments including repetitive ear grabbing, lots of circling elbows, pulling down another’s pants, and piggy-backing off stage.

Bringing the evening program at the Joyce Theater to an excited close was the presentation of Megalopolis. In this 2009 work that has become a crowd-favorite, it is hard to find yourself not bouncing along to Steve Reich’s edgy “Sextet-Six Marimbas” which transitions into MIA’s “World Town” and “XR2.” The clubbing, futuristic beings strut – and I mean strut - across the stage, corner to corner and through vertical fluorescent lights.

Fritz Masten’s black and silver unitards with differing sparkly blocks on each compliment the piece perfectly, as do the dancer’s visible “I’m all that” attitudes. Their hips undulating, they proceed through the space in lines chugging forward and swinging their hips, and as the pace picks up so does the sassiness and sharpness of their movements. It’s like an alien, partying, club scene that we all want to be invited to.
EYE ON THE ARTS, NY – Jennifer Thompson