Stylistic Fusions Propel ‘Flying Solo’ Program

Not all of the works flew Friday night at the Getty Center’s Harold M. Williams Auditorium in an evening entitled “Flying Solo.” What did soar in this ongoing free dance series, however, were the ethnic fusion numbers of Parijat Desai and Sen Hea Ha. Carmela Hermann, the evening’s third choreographer-performer, although adroit and occasionally clever, proved less successful in her choices.

Ha, in a Korean gown of flowing silk with billowing sleeves, incorporated improvised movements derived from a shaman ritual in “Sal’ puri Choom.” Set to traditional music, Ha’s deliberately slow Butoh-esqe moves and fluttering arms created a regal effect, her tiny steps picking up a more aggressive pace as she made her way to bended knee.

“Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” showed the shaven-headed Ha with a broomstick (think a deconstructed “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”). David Karagianis’ original percussive music provided the perfect complement to this evocation of women’s roles, as Ha alternated between spare, ascetic moves and the dreamlike quiverings of her slight body.

Desai, in “Listening, Part 2,” proved lithe and graceful, incorporating yogic moves with spins and leaps, her delicate hands weaving patterns in the air. In the previously reviewed “Mudakarath: Invocation of Lord Vinayaka,” with choreography by Viji Prakash, a radiant Desai again offered solid rhythmic footwork.

Hermann’s “Barre,” a postmodern poke at ballerinas, was less of a dying swan routine and more of a dying, well, ostrich. Moving to music of Schubert and Chopin, the quasi-tutu-clad Hermann occasionally resembled Lucy Ricardo as she hung upside down on the barre, twirled on it, crawled under it and finally exited with it on her back.

Her “Thoughts on 3 Random Words: An Improvisation,” seemed in no way improvised. After having the audience choose three words from the dictionary--”courage,” “decompose” and “decorate”--Hermann moved around on stage discoursing on Princess Diana’s death. Using narrative techniques developed by Simone Forti, Hermann has already performed “Diana” at Highways Performance Space, and neither her pelvic lifts, her neck stands, nor her fluttering hands could save this from feeling false.