Alonzo King LINES Ballet: Collective Strength on Writing Ground

An awareness of community, manifested in numerous ways, pervades nearly every aspect of  Alonzo King LINES Ballet's stunning  fall season program, which opened last weekend at YBCA's LAM Research Theater.

In King's program note he quotes John Muir:

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

The existence of these connections, the danger which comes from threatening them, and the power resulting from their maintenance, forms the spine of Writing Ground, King's collaboration with writer Colum MCCann. The latter's poetry inspired the program's design of fourteen verses, titled to invoke religious and historical points of reference or states of mind. Music and movement are sometimes juxtaposed, somtimes combined to pinpoint the fragile and complex nature of the universe as suggested by Muir's quote. The musical selections, especially when the Quran's Sura XVII is preceded and followed by sacred Jewish texts, and the drama which accompanies them, is breathtaking, bordering on heartbreaking. At 40 minutes and fourteen sections, it's a long piece, but it feels like every aspect has been well thought out- the dancers, costumes, and lighting, are fully engaged to make every moment feel vital to the whole. Writing Ground is one the most thought-provoking, rewarding works I've seen in a long time.

Also on the program is the world premiere of Concerto for Two Violins, titled after, and propelled by Bach's music of the same name. As the company moves through its paces in the outer movements, there are nods to both Balanchine and Lucinda Childs and there's a sharp focus in King's choreography which makes everything here seem essential. However, the heart of the work is its central Largo movement, performed by Meredith Webster, Kara Wilkes, David Harvey and Michael Montgomery. Here the four dancers take turns engaging, entwining, releasing and surrendering to each other in a series of gorgeously executed waves which rise to crests on the verge of crashing at any moment, suggesting the precarious nature of being, and how the support, and perhaps presence, of others keeps the individual afloat. It's simply magnificent to watch.

Go see this. Five performances remain from October 30 through November 3. Tickets and more informaton can be found here.