The Dallas Black Dance Theater’s “Spring Celebration Series” was one of those performances that keeps tossing about your mind after the curtain has dropped. There was such a dramatic flair and athletic vigor to the performance by a company that continually manages to find strength by mixing both experienced dancers and young, vibrant talents.

The first piece in the program, Verses, choreographed by Nathan Trice, was inspired by the Nasher Sculpture Garden. It began with a video projection documentary of the Nasher family’s contributions to arts and culture in Dallas. Once the film ended, lights dimmed and dancers appeared on the edges of the stage. Wearing high-gloss satin PJs in reds and pinks, they sauntered about, their paths interweaving. Singular tonal piano notes penetrated the air and some fetching moments took shape. Their prescribed movements were circular and seamless with sustained endings flowing in a watery ripple, scooping, pulling, carving space, serenity on their faces, bound relaxation in their bodies.

Gabriel’s Sorrow, a dramatic solo performed by visiting artist Bernard H. Gaddis of the Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater, was breathtaking. The curtain opened exposing a small dark figure, center stage, awash in a pool of blue light reflecting off the partially exposed cyclorama. The soft, unobtrusive music began to resonate through the house as the blue lights gradually filled the stage, crescendoing in and out, highlighting the heavy cry of a cello. A male dancer stood erect, his shirtless torso glistening with sweat as he moves through the space, shifting and reaching his long limbs, taking full advantage of the great swaths of fabric in the tattered white, full-length wrap skirt. Gaddis’ movements were dramatic, bound and prayerful, carefully designed to draw attention to his long sinuous muscles.

“Silence is sexy. It speaks truth; it’s vulnerable…” Those words spoken by Omar Tau echoed through the house. Four male dancers clad in black slacks and tops traveled across the stage in perfect unison. Pulse, choreographed in 2007 by Ray Mercer, was a sexually charged piece clearly influenced by both contemporary ballet and classical jazz. The music, by James Horner, James Murphy, and Nina Simone was scrumptious. Six dancers sashayed and slithered endlessly, transitioning from one movement to the next, perfectly harmonic in execution and style.

Variations I, a deep seated quartet choreographed by Milton Myers in 2003, set dance to the subtle drumbeats devised by composer William Catanzaro. The piece began with rather grounded, technically formal simplicity and gradually progressed to a more rigorous momentum including twisting, curling, spirals and a series of articulate allegro combinations.

The program also included a revival of Essence performed once again by the memorizing Nycole Ray and concluded with the Nina Simone Project, all of which showcased Dallas Black Dance Theater’s flawless technique and blithe virtuosity, paying homage to the roots of both modern dance and contemporary ballet. And although some of the costumes felt dated, but the company spirit remained fresh.

Courtesy photo