Time Travelling with Pulse Dance Company

Where we are now, as humans, is due to a huge amount of small innovations. Baby steps often too small to notice until, decades later, they have become the foundation for new innovations. Of course, there are other ways we have advanced. Technology has offered mankind huge steps. Electricity, coal and fossil fuel innovation, new power sources such as solar energy. Every once in awhile something comes along that changes everything that comes after. The arts are no exception.

Pulse Dance Company is no stranger to creativity and pushing the limits of dance. They have continued to challenge both the dance community and audiences to reach further when analyzing, choreographing and watching this already novel art form. When I saw that Pulse would be performing choreography for Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, I was extremely curious to see how they would interpret his music. You see, Rite of Spring was one of those big innovations in art when it was composed for a ballet in 1913. The music is erratic; it switches from smooth and melodic to rather harsh and percussive. Timing and mood change so often it can be disarming to an audience. At its opening, the costumes were different than what audiences were used to and the plot revolved around a sort of Pagan sacrifice. These strange innovations, coupled with the music, caused a riot in the audience; the rich—who turned up their noses in their viewing boxes—against the poorer classes on the floor. The musicians and dancers endured and finished the performance in its totality.

If the name Stravinsky seems familiar, Rite of Spring is why. He was very talented, however, because of the new ground he broke with Rite, he was immortalized.

Pulse’s rendition was fascinating. The unpredictability of the music drew me closer to the dancers as I grew more curious about how long one movement would last, or what was going to happen next. The music was so complex that I was surprised at how graceful and well rehearsed the dancers were. World-class music can often call for world-class dancers and Pulse did not disappoint. Graceful movements turned harsh and akimbo in the blink of an eye. At first, the dancers are spread throughout the stage, then a series of harsh tones and movements bring them into an organized spacing, only for the music to change into another unpredicted whimsy. Pulse also has a slight variation on the loose plot of the ballet, which I thought was suited to the company and timely.

The two acts, Rite and Stairway, seem at first to be in juxtaposition: a classical yet groundbreaking piece followed by an act of choreographed dance to the music of Led Zeppelin performed live by The Modern Savage. It wasn’t until I was sitting in the theatre mid-way through the second act that I saw the arch of the show, and understand maybe why Stephanie Wonchala, founder and artistic director of Pulse, chose to perform these pieces as an evening event.

Led Zeppelin, unlike Igor Stravinsky, needs much less introduction. They are revered as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, up there with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Zeppelin's style of music ranges from almost heavy metal, to ballad, to funk and other classical styles. Few bands have so masterfully played such a huge array of music. Novel songwriting and dynamics allowed Zeppelin to stake claim on their place in history. Trendsetters. Innovators.

The Modern Savage is just coming off of a new album release and offers not only a killer live aesthetic with the dancers, but also novel yet respectful covers of some of The Led’s most known tunes. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” was a triumph both for The Modern Savage and the dance that accompanied. Timothy Tristan performs a very heartfelt duet with four of the female members, reminiscing his time with old lovers and past memories. “Dazed and Confused” was another personal favorite. I found that the movement and music paired well in an organic way. Before the final number, Modern Savage, sans singer Jenny Toro, gives an instrumental interlude to the song “Kashmir,” using looping pedals and a tight drummer, which is sure to please.

Notable performances by Allison Arima, Cady Lynn O’Brien and Brittany Petry. Somehow everything these three did had an obvious emotional impetus, but don’t be fooled, all these dancers have wonderful moments.

In the final number, Wonchala ascends a staircase as if to say, “look out Stravinsky, trendsetter coming through.”