Meneer knows her dancers and their bodies well. In that, she's like choreographer Twyla Tharp in her way of shaping moves that come out of her dancers' abilities. They are the means to tell the story and to reveal character. Her efforts certainly work in this production. For the role of Spring, Meneer wants it lively, bouncy, full of little jumps.
Summer is lusher, more open and flowing.
The choreography for Winter interchanges a dragging quality to every move with a kind of plucking of the toes, like snowflakes hitting the ground. It all works, and it's good stuff indeed. The attention to detail extends beyond choreography into all aspects of performance. Roger Durbin is associate dean and professor of bibliography for University Libraries at The University of Akron and a member of the Dance Critics Association. Click here to return to Spotlights menu.