Blue Balloons

This September, I attended Ririe-Woodbury’s season premier show, The Start of Something Big. The strength and endurance of the dancers, as the six of them danced through the night, impressed me. The evening consisted of many repertoire pieces displaying the company’s versatility. Including a couple from Alwin Nikolais, and the founders of the company, Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe.  Topped off with a spectacular piece by the company’s new Artistic-Director, Daniel Charon. The old dance films connecting each piece were entertaining and added to the evening’s program.

The performance that was most compelling to me was a piece towards the middle of the show, created to entertain school children in the 1970’s. The words that are read to us during the performance are from a Winnie the Pooh book, when Pooh Bear is floating around on his balloon, making up a song about being a cloud. The free flowing effort and playful tone of a breeze are movement qualities that are carried throughout the entire piece. The female dancers held balloons in their hands and moved as if they were drifting around on the wind. Any shift seemed to change their direction. Nothing was rushed, as if we had all of the time in the world to lie out in the grass and observe the clouds as they went by. The male dancers almost disappeared into the background, acting as the air, effortlessly transporting everyone around the stage.

No movement seemed unintentional, there was precise attention to detail and it was satisfying to watch as the bodies on stage fulfilled each shape. The ease and breath of the performers was fascinating, it helped me as an audience member, to feel included in the daydream. I wanted to jump up on stage and play with the balloons along with the dancers. I enjoyed the world that was created on the stage; innocent, fun loving, and made with a younger audience in mind.

The entire concert contained such a variety of skill, showing off the dancer’s abilities, which left the audience begging for more in the end.  The diversity allowed there to be something that everyone could identify with and enjoy. I am excited to see what else the Ririe-Woodbury dance company has in store for the rest of the season.