‘Bella Copia’s’ truth, stripped bare

Although the program notes for “In Bella Copia” (Fair Copy) spread comforting homilies about daring to be our true selves, a much darker vision pervaded this provocative, strongly performed dance drama from the Czech-based Deja Donne company at the REDCAT Theater on Wednesday.

Indeed, as the six characters segued from violence-laden sex games to moments of cruel humiliation and even abject terror, self-knowledge proved in such short supply that it became impossible to guess which of their conflicting identities represented bedrock truth.

Was Lea Capkova most herself when floating across the stage as a virgin goddess in an endless orange chiffon veil? Or when pawing desperately at the crotch of Jan Benes-McGadie? Or when near-catatonic after indulgence in reckless fantasies brought her to the verge of being raped?

Being confronted with his true self led Ondrej Vajsar to explode in murderous rage, so you could argue that “In Bella Copia” provided evidence that many people can’t face their naked needs, especially when so many others are ready to exploit them.

Choreographed, directed and designed by Lenka Flory and Simone Sandroni, the 75-minute work used mobile light bridges and towers to continually redefine the stage space and emphasize the individual self-deceptions at its heart. A grim, forceful taped score by Bruno de Franceschi reinforced the emotional crosscurrents, but “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby” kept turning up as a mantra for the loveless characters.

Mouthing ironies from “Cabaret,” Benes-McGadie served as host, inviting us to a nonexistent “world of never-ending happiness” and ricocheting from one over-the-top seduction to another until he too ended up victimized: scared out of his wits, naked on a pole.

Frequently an intense dialogue scene took place on one part of the stage while other characters nearby explored their relationship through dancing. Filled with slapping, slashing and kicking moves, the choreography matched the acting in emotional heat, and both expressed the sense that fury lies at the core of desire. Manipulate sexual need, as mock-temptress Teodora Popova learned at her own expense, and you’re playing with fire.

Only a duet for Capkova and Masako Noguchi stayed free of any hostility, and only Noguchi and Sandroni provided a compassionate alternative to the bleakness of the work’s worldview -- until the unexpectedly hopeful finale.

Here the cast’s full nudity became a statement of solidarity with a brutalized comrade, an acknowledgment of all the dangerous self-obsession that we’d been witnessing and the first step beyond it toward a rueful acceptance of its consequences. If nobody actually embodied Sandroni’s program note about becoming the “someone else who we really ought to be,” at least “In Bella Copia” powerfully conveyed the high price of staying locked in destructive self-delusion.

*

Deja Donne

Where: REDCAT Theater,

Walt Disney Concert Hall,

631 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles

When: Tonight -Sunday, 8:30 p.m.

Price: $34-$36

Contact: (213) 237-2800

Running time: 75 minutes