'Heartland' turns dance upside down

The new Repertory Dance Theatre program "Heartland," composed of four works by Susan Hadley, could be considered a sociologist's dream, especially the world premiere, "Fin Amours."

"In this work, I looked at trying to expand gender roles of dancers," Hadley said during a rehearsal break in the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. "Throughout the years, there have always been certain roles that dancers have taken upon themselves. Men are strong. Women are pretty. Men lift the women. The women are lifted.

"I wanted to see what would happen when those roles were changed. What would happen if a 100-pound woman lifted a 150-pound man?"

That is just one part of the nine duets that make up "Fin Amours," said Hadley, who was a principal dancer with the Mark Morris Dance Group and Senta Driver's HARRY Dance Company. "We needed a work that was more sparse than the rest of the pieces in the program."

"Fin Amours" grew from a seed planted in Hadley's mind when she was asked to choreograph a pas de deux for a ballet. "The pas de deux didn't pan out, but I began thinking about movements and space that would eventually become 'Fin Amours.' "

The more Hadley thought, the more she wanted to make this dance for the Repertory Dance Theatre. "There are three couples, but each one of the dancers learned each duet. And as time went on, we began seeing certain dancers meshing with certain duets. Eventually, the dancers went through their movements and personalities, chose which duets they would be dancing."

While that might have seemed like a long, challenging process, the real test was creating a work that didn't have any dramatic conflicts. "This is basically a work about everyone getting along," Hadley said with a laugh. "I was wondering how I was going to make an interesting work that didn't have a hook or problem that needed to be addressed. It's ironic to me that that was the hard part about this work."

However, there is plenty of drama in the two other works that immediately follow "Fin Amours" -- "Commonplace" and "Solitaire." While the sociological aspect of these two works isn't about the roles of men and women, Hadley addresses the structure of these two works that were choreographed within two years of each other.

" 'Commonplace' and 'Solitaire' are the yin and yang of my career," she said with a laugh. "They are both pretty heavy and deal with relationships. But in 'Commonplace,' the group supports the individual in a nice resolution during a time of sorrow, while 'Solitaire' sees the individual being, as the title suggests, alone."

Both works show two completely different aspects that are very much a part of Hadley's life. "They're both part of the human existence. We all have experienced support by groups, whether it's from a family, a community, friends or even a dance company. But we've also felt alone at times. That's where these two works come into play. I have never seen them performed in the same program. So it will be interesting to see what they are going to be like side by side."

The last work is a revival of Hadley's 1998 work "Bluegrass," which is a part of RDT's repertoire. "It's different than 'Commonplace.' In fact, if these weren't in the same program, it would be hard to realize that they were both choreographed by me."

"Bluegrass" focuses on the physicality of dance and the relationship of friends, Hadley said. "I also wanted to spotlight bluegrass music. I wanted to show audiences that bluegrass musicians are virtuoso musicians and not the stereotypical hillbillies that are portrayed in the media."

If you go . . .

What: "Heartland," Repertory Dance Theatre

When: 8 p.m., April 3-5

Where: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South

How much: $20

Phone: 355-2787 or 1-888-451-2787

Web: www.xmission.com/~rdt/ or www.arttix.org

E-mail: [email protected]

Copyright C 2003 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.