‘Time Goes On’ Even When It Shouldn’t

Rei Aoo is a lovely dancer whose dramatic line lends a poignant lyricism to her balletic moves. Her choreography, however, tends to be pop-derived and muddled. But it was Aoo’s programming that proved deadly Saturday night at the Madrid Theatre, as Rei Aoo’s Dance Planet presented “Time Goes On”-- an evening of seven works, only four of them hers.

Aoo danced Terry Beeman’s “Prelude” and “Monologue” as bookends to the first half, with “Prelude” a kind of warm-up exercise, her feet skimming the floor as she perused a book. “Monologue” was set against a video featuring moving cars (by Aoo and Richard Kuller), in which the centered dancer stretched and slinked sensuously across the stage.

Aoo’s “A Love Story” showcased Anthony Garza and Tiler Peck in a romantic, if uninspired, pas de deux; Aoo’s “Highwayman,” a narrative set to Loreena McKennitt’s, music was more literal than original. Aoo’s “Time Goes On” was a joyful romp in which Jannell Burgess, Melody Burns, Amanda Huff , Kiyoko Ortiz, Jaclyn Riesz and Aoo--in turbans and harem pants--soared in unison. Aoo’s previously reviewed “Horsemen in Wilderness” again accentuated vigor.

Becca and Gregg Russell’s 35-minute centerpiece, “Peeping From the Box,” was an amateurish take on voyeurism. Dancers cavorted with boxes on their heads before the piece segued into a series of vapid moves: Performers then dressed as doctor, nurse, homeless woman and photographer threw in fouettes and tap dancing to no effect. Voyeurism? This work is better left unseen.