DANCE REVIEW : Jazz Unlimited Emits Few Sparks During La Jolla Museum Premieres

Jazz Unlimited presented four premieres featuring its trademark explosions of energy during a weekend of concertizing at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, but, except for the red-hot finale, the troupe failed to ignite many sparks in the Saturday night audience.

Alicia Rincon’s “Passage,” which sent the crowd home cheering, was more serious and more concerned with dance architecture than is most of her work. It also showed the new dancers in the company to their best advantage.

Patricia Rincon mined her deepest emotions to evoke the three facets of “Las Desisiones,” a heavy dance drama that explored border issues and sexual politics in jazz-time. Unfortunately, except for a few spurts of creativity, the piece looked like just another excuse for high-voltage dancing.

Rincon’s designs were at their best in a duet depicting sexism in Latino society--danced in dubious counterpoint to an emotion-packed Mexican song. A solo for Bruno Bosardi, which reflected some of the fear and desperation of an alien on the run, was another brief highlight.

Siblings Melissa Nunn and Rob Mullins teamed up in “Field of Fire,” which burst from its percussive score like a rocket. Allusions to an unseen enemy and the ravages of war were the most memorable moments in this modern-based dance.

Nunn’s choreography--full of violent body rotations and disjointed moves--made strong demands on the dancers. But the five-member cast took them all in stride.

The rest of the program reprised recent works--Rincon’s overheated “Grounded” and Nunn’s exotic “Summons.”

Jazz Unlimited has expanded its ranks of male dancers, which should have long-term benefits for the company. However, these young additions have not yet attained the technical assurance of the women in the energetic troupe.