ICE, Baby

by Debra Auspitz

The Independent Choreographer's Exchange was created in 1989 by the Philadelphia Dance Alliance and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts as a meeting ground for local choreographers to share their work as well as the issues they were facing as artists. These days, ICE showcases are a regular part of the Philly dance season schedule, giving us a chance to watch our dancers show off for each other. This week's performance features work by eight choreographers, all falling under the loose category of "Sacred and Profane." Several performers worked with biblical source material, like Nicole Gonnella Doran's "Promise Fulfilled," in which she aims to translate passages from the gospel of Mark through dance. Cheryl Pento, in collaboration with June Hines, presents "Her Grace," a piece set to Bobby McFerrin's version of the 23rd Psalm ("The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want..."). Stephen Welsh choreographed a piece on the Dance Fusion and Fusion 2 Dancers that looks at serpentine imagery, while Martha Hess draws from Japanese inspirational lullabies for "Nata Sang, Komoliuta, Lullaby." On the secular side, Bob Skiba offers a jazz-inspired piece, "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue," a one-step appropriate to the early '20s. Shandra Staley looks at social history in "This is a Dance for You," exploring changes that people of color in our society have gone through. Gretchen Studlien-Webb describes her piece, choreographed in the West Chester University Contemporary Dance Company, only as "bawdy," and Tomas Dura's "Crazy Cripple" tells a tale of an injured dancer who, in a fit of insanity, throws away his crutch and tries to dance again. ICE presents a forum for dance of many different styles to mingle under a common umbrella, and an opportunity to see a slew of local dancers under one roof.

ICE presents “Sacred and Profane,” Sat., June 29 and Sun., June 30, 8 p.m., $8-$10, Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Ave., 215-843-5229.

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October 6, 2005
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