Weekend Reviews : Dance : Paying Homage to Two Who Touch the Heart

If you had to guess beforehand the two modern dance choreographers who would be represented on a program entitled “Trailblazers: Dancers of Change,” Agnes de Mille and Donald McKayle might not be your first choices.

But as Los Angeles Dance Theatre proved in a program devoted to these two over the weekend at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, the choices made sense and were honorable: De Mille for her sublime purity and simplicity; McKayle for his gutsy apprehension of real-life issues.

Beyond the level of craft, both succeeded not in the abstract, but in honestly touching the heart.

The two were presented first through comic works, just to hint at their capabilities in that direction--De Mille’s “Debut at the Opera” and McKayle’s “Spanish Tinge” from his “Album Leaves.”

Janet Eilber repeated her fine performance of De Mille’s ditsy backstage ballerina seen in February at Cal State Los Angeles. Bonnie Oda Homsey and Hector Mercado exploited McKayle’s hilarious send-up of dancers’ passions boiling over in a flamenco duet. Eilber and Homsey are co-directors of the company.

Then things got heavy.

De Mille’s choreography for Broadway allowed--no, demanded--the talents of dancing actors or actresses. In the ballet for “Carousel,” restaged by Gemze de Lappe, Homsey danced Louise strongly and lyrically, and gave due justice to De Mille’s detailed depiction of a young woman waking to life and sexuality. Lawrence Blake as the Carnival Man provided her with strong partnering but little matching characterization.

In two De Mille dance excerpts from “Brigadoon,” restaged by Diana Gonzales, Eilber made the optimism of the young bride touchingly exultant; the explosive grief of the young widow heartbreaking.

Eilber abandoned all glamour in McKayle’s wrenching portrayal of a homeless woman in “Saturday’s Child,” speaking Countee Cullen’s poem as she progressed through the compacted, tortuous choreography.

L. Martina Young danced McKayle’s imperishable solo “Angelitos Negros,” set to Roberta Flack’s memorable recording, with noble vulnerability.

Homsey ranged easily through various incarnations of Woman--Dream, Sweetheart, Mother, Wife--in a suite made up of the central solo and duets from McKayle’s “Rainbow ‘Round My Shouldar.” Mercado, Ronald Brown and Bill Landrum danced the men on the chain gang powerfully.

On Friday, McKayle also received a proclamation from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, presented by Rita Moreno, his longtime trailblazing friend and associate.