The term “modern dance” might bring to mind the image of thin, limber dancers wearing tight clothes and leaping around a dark stage mimicking wild beasts to the “Soothing Sounds of the Rain Forest” soundtrack. Add to that some techno and big, metal Muppet claws and what you’ve got is “Nemesis,” the latest piece from the British modern dance company Random Dance, headed by renowned choreographer Wayne McGregor.
In 1992, McGregor founded Random Dance as an outlet for his creative ambitions. McGregor studied dance at University College, Bretton Hall and the José Limón Institute in New York. His prowess as a choreographer extends beyond modern dance: He has created work for the Royal Ballet and been nominated for an Olivier award, the Tony of British theater. He is also due to choreograph the Stuttgart Ballet and the next Harry Potter movie.
Random Dance’s earlier works, like “The Millennarium” and “Sulphur 16,” boldly incorporated technology into modern dance by moving dancers in computer-graphic 3D backgrounds among digitally animated bodies. This element has given Random Dance a reputation for being more accessible than other modern dance companies. The company also uses technology to disseminate its dances in tech-savvy ways such as Web cams and videoconferencing. McGregor’s other projects include works for children such as “digit01,” “Alpha” and a program that teaches dance through live Webcast rehearsals.
“Nemesis,” named for the Greek goddess of vengeance, represents a change of direction for McGregor because it shifts away from technological motifs, returning to nature only to combine the two themes later. The set resembles a disco floor on acid, with speckled lights forming brightly colored leaves. Dancers wearing insectlike costumes interact on white grids and red hexagons. Augmenting the costumes are long steel arm extensions specially ordered from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the birthplace of the Muppets. What makes the piece interesting are the obvious purposes of each of the movements, such as eating and pursuing mates. Watching the insect-people move in such a deliberate manner shows nature’s need for frugal functionality. The music is a cocktail of a primitive jungle groove and factory-type techno. The acrobatic aspect resembles that of such Asian martial arts styles as Wushu and pushes the human body to its limits.
The performance ends with Random Dance’s latest piece, “Polar Sequences,” the first piece in which McGregor employed outside choreographers. McGregor collaborated with Indian choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh and Portuguese choreographer Rui Horta to create a three-part piece that highlights the differences between their styles. Jeyasingh’s contribution includes Bharatanatyam hand gestures that reflect a prominent Indian influence. A distinctly Japanese mood comes from Horta’s segment, where a dancer cooks noodles upstage and, when finished, performs a solo while the other dancers eat the concocted victuals.
The last section, choreographed by McGregor and danced to Marilyn Manson, includes the sum of the most physically demanding movements in the set and shows how intense modern dance can get. “Polar Sequences” should give a better idea of how much McGregor’s work differs from that of his peers.
Random Dance will perform Part 1 of “Nemesis” and “Polar Sequences” at Mandeville Auditorium on Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. More information, as well as streaming samples of “Nemesis,” is available at its Web site, http://www.randomdance.org.
