DANCE REVIEWS : Silayan Company: Some Gestures in Right Direction

At its best, Silayan Dance Company does not present a concert so much as cast a spell. For that to happen, conditions and ingredients have to be just right, as they occasionally were during “Larawan,” dances from Silayan’s repertory at the Fountain Theatre Sunday afternoon.

Still expanding from, and primarily nourished by, its Philippine roots, Silayan is most mesmerizing in moments of lyrical, ceremonial slowness. Both traditional and newer pieces by artistic director Dulce Capadocia are dominated by gestures. Torsos tilt as arms open skyward, finding new life with each gentle unfolding. At the whim of stately women with coolly downcast eyes, arms rise and fall with harmonious ease, like a breath you take in your most calm, serene moments. In the background most often are the taped sounds of a kulintang (gong) ensemble or, occasionally, religious chants.

During a suite of Muslim-influenced dances from Mindanao, the effectiveness of these strategies was intensified by the proximity of dancers and audience in the tiny Fountain Theatre. But the same enforced intimacy worked against Capadocia’s “The Legend of the Mayon Volcano,” a tale of doomed lovers told with larger gestures and leaps that looked cramped and histrionic. Faster tempos and more demanding steps also brought out some technical insecurity.

On the program as well were Capadocia’s “Diwata Fly” and Rose Lago’s “I Give, to You,” two promising fusion works. Oddly, the only premiere, “The Wind, One Earth and One Sky,” by Lago and Capadocia, lasted a scant few minutes. Narration (spoken by Muni Zano) was about Filipino identity surviving in song and prayer. Appropriately, much of the dance of Silayan seems like prayer, as did the one song on the program, “Dahil Saiyo,” sung with amazing grace by guest artist Luzzie Militante.

* “Larawan,” by Silayan Dance Co., Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, Sunday and May 7, 3 p.m. $15. (213) 663-1525.