Dance Review: Ririe-Woodbury’s “Circle Cycle”
By Tessa Woolf
01/28/10 - 07:00 PM
There’s nothing like sitting in a theatre full of elementary school kids witnessing a modern dance performance, probably for the first time, to remind you of the power of dance to inspire. I am sitting in a plush seat at the oh-so-elegant Capitol Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City surrounded by hundreds of young students oohing and ahhing as we preview Ririe-Woodbury’s latest production “Circle Cycle,” an exciting interplay of dance, narration, music, images, costumes and props revolving around one theme: circles.
“Circle “Cycle” focuses on the positive experiences we have with teachers in our lives. Through a series of colorful, engaging dances, Ririe-Woodbury’s talented performers playfully use tangible “circles”—hula-hoops, balloons, volleyballs, medicine balls—to illustrate metaphorical “circles:” life, cycles, beginnings becoming endings and endings becoming beginnings. A narrator ties the dances together with thoughtful commentary on childhood, growing up, learning, changing and the never-ending quest of discovering oneself.
“Wowwww,” exclaims one student next to me as the dancers swiftly leap and weave through hula hoops, the stage lights shining purple then pink then yellow on their silky white costumes. “We should do this in PE,” whispers another student as the dancers quickly pass balls to one another, zigzagging all over the stage. “Awwwesome,” mutters another student as the dancers emerge from beneath a huge bunch of white balloons and proceed to spin, twirl, jump, kick and throw the “circles.”
Conceived and created by Ririe-Woodbury founders Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe, “Circle Cycle” was choreographed in 1992 and took over two years to complete. The collaboration began with Woodbury, Ririe and University of Utah professor Xan Johnson creating a performance that combined dance and narrative to illustrate and reinforce the importance of taking care of each other and the world around us.
“Circle Cycle” is everything a great dance performance should be: exciting, entertaining, challenging, thought provoking and, of course, fun—perfect for the young and young at heart.
“Circle Cycle” runs Friday, January 29 through Saturday, January 30, at 7 p.m. (plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday) at Capitol Theatre. For tickets, visit arttix.org.
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