Dance Reviews : Five New Works Presented by Jazz Dancers Inc.

Dennon and Sayhber Rawles don’t often turn out thought-provoking works for their 10-year-old company, Jazz Dancers Inc. But whether intentional or not, there was at least one such work among five new pieces introduced over the weekend in the Gallery Theatre at Barnsdall Park in Hollywood.

“Sister Moon,” seen Sunday, showed three stages in the growth and development of a woman. Angie Sherman was the teddy-bear hugging child; Karla Cottis the gum-smacking, smart-alecky adolescent; Adrienne Parker the glamorous, dreamy lover.

Each stage seemed to be ambiguously exalted musically by Sting (on tape), and was strongly danced by the women. But taken together, when the three return at the end, questions invariably arise--and not only for feminists. Is this all there is? Are these a woman’s choices?

On the evidence of the other new pieces, maybe so.

“One Way” (music by Al Jareau) was full of lyric, but anonymous flowing wave patterns. In “Busted for Boppin” (music by Full Swing), Cottis, Karen Sefton and Nela Fry were similarly faceless but sassy adolescents.

A similar theme attached to one of the two other new pieces, appended to pre-existing works. “Fragile,” a solo for Sayhber Rawles, begins “Tango Apasionado” with the woman set up as riddle for the ensuing reconciliation duet.

“Whatcha Gonna Do?”--a trio for the Rawleses and Fry--was added at the end of the group suite, “Latin in Vogue,” continuing its partnering explorations.

Here, as elsewhere, the Rawleses danced with strength and technical prowess. The company overall looked crisp and sharp.

Appearing as guests were mime-tapper Lorene Yarnell; the cello-Chapman Stick duo Daniel Ross Bortz and Randy Strom; and pianist Michael Roberts, who provided accompaniment for a series of sometimes tongue-in-cheek dance vignettes to classic pop tunes.