‘Forces’ Marred by Cuteness, the Lack of a Clear Vision

The powers on display Friday during Dance Electric’s premiere “Forces” at Occidental College’s Keck Theater were hard to unearth. Conceived and choreographed by artistic director Veronica Apodaca-Mendonca, this 12-part, 75-minute opus was an ill-conceived foray into familiar terrain: dancers as, among other things, ice, wind, thunder and--that dreaded cliche--rebirth.

Clumped together with no cohesive core, this messy fusion of ballet, hip-hop and modern dance relied too heavily on Helen Apodaca’s busy costuming, Jenny Nissenson’s cartoonish masks and overwrought singing by Crazy Cat George (Jody Hunter, Robin Gray and Tanya Goolsby).

Even endearing aliens in “Ceatures”--Wendy Cooke, Tami Knight, Charlotte Perebinosoff and Maya Rogel--athletically slinking across the stage proved overly cute. Of the 22 performers, only a handful stood out: Erika Saito and Rowdy Metzger, and Apodaca-Mendonca and Gary Franco were convincing in “Fire,” high-charged duets that came alive with forceful partnering.

Were it not for the awesome measure of Mark Mendonca’s additional choreography and splendid tap dancing (he co-founded the company with his wife), the evening would have been a complete bust. Whenever he took the stage--which was too infrequently--the “force” was most definitely with him. His is an enormous talent that eclipses anyone in his orbit: Whether breezily blitzing through complex rhythms (“Rain”) or suavely dancing a soft shoe on gritty sand (“Sand”), the night belonged to him.

Dance Electric struggles valiantly to be provocative, whimsical and edgy. What it needs, however, is a clear vision, editing and stringent direction to make an impact.