‘Wanderlust’ Leads Troupe Far Astray

Loosely structured as a kind of index to societal frustrations, “Wanderlust” maroons some excellent dancers from the locally based Trip Dance Theatre in a sprawling, overlong collage of shopworn Expressionist imagery and choreographic processes.

At the La Boca Theatre/Sunshine Mission on Thursday, far too many sequences relied on the same quasi-improvisational swoop-and-swirl generalities, or lasted way beyond their natural endings. No significant shift in mood or means distinguished “The Weight of the World” (Act 1) from “The Lightness of Imagination” (Act 2), and many of the work’s central devices--stage harnesses, amplified heartbeats, slides projected onto moving bodies--have already been taken much further by other contemporary choreographers.

But “Wanderlust” brimmed with interpretive talent, beginning with Trip artistic director Monica Favand: a 1997 Lester Horton Award winner for her nightmarish scrapheap costumes but also a performer of great emotional urgency even in choreography with no evident expressive core.

Dona Leonard may have been praised once too often for her gorgeous lyric line, and certainly played against it rebelliously throughout the evening. However, anatomy is destiny in dance, so even her lurching/stumbling solo with briefcases during intermission gained a perverse grace beyond her control.

Whenever the improvisational sextet titled “Trip” began to bog down, Eric Daniel Haun invigorated it with new energy and a sophisticated dynamic sense. He also lent his fine partnering skills to the occasion, especially in the intense “Have a Nice Day” duet with Favand. Finally, in the jazzy, unaccompanied solo “Breath Dance,” Haun created the only choreography in “Wanderlust” that qualified as a fresh idea needing more development and a longer running time.

Liz Maxwell, Lynne De Marco and Koala Yip all performed strongly, with everyone meshing into a honed ensemble when drafted for large-scale collaborative segments. However, it was Favand’s trio “Wasteland,” danced by De Marco, Haun and the choreographer, that made Trip Dance Theatre look most like a genuine company instead of a workshop with delusions of grandeur. Rocking against one another and then whirling restlessly through the space and across the floor, they effectively physicalized the sound of rushing wind that accompanied them, displaying a level of skill and stamina worth celebrating.

Obviously, there’s plenty of work to do before Favand and company can truly fill an evening--but, happily, there’s also plenty to work with.

* Trip Dance Theatre performs “Wanderlust” at 8 tonight, and on Thursday-June 13, in the La Boca Theatre/Sunshine Mission, 2600 S. Hoover at Adams, downtown. $12-$15. (213) 655-2464.