RDT's 'Sight Lines' is outtasight

"SIGHT LINES," REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Feb. 6, additional performances 8 p.m. Feb. 7 and 8, and 2 p.m. Feb. 8 (355-2787).

Energy and emotion are the focus during Repertory Dance Theatre's evening of selections collectively titled "Sight Lines."

Each of the seven works captivated Thursday evening's full house in the Rose Wagner theater, keeping audience members wondering what was going to happen with every leap, twist and turn.

First out of the gate is Jim Moreno's expressive and layered "View." Combining ballet-inspired presentation with simple, everyday gestures -- the turn of a head, the rubbing of an arm -- the work stirs the human experience of discovery and enlightenment.

Moreno, a former RDT member, also created the edgy "Miffed and Swift." Three women -- Lynne Listing, Alissa Schirtzinger and Chien- Ying Wang -- throw out some attitude with complex, eye-blurring movements that fit tightly with the zip-zap musical transitions by Shostakovich.

During the first half, the audience is also treated with Thayer Jonutz and Raymond Robinson's "I Will If You Will." RDT's Jonutz and friend Robinson try to outdo each other in this physical. but friendly, movement competition.

One of the more provocative pieces is Jo Strmgren's "Kraak." The title, translated as ink emitted from an octopus when it's being attacked, works well in the Black Box Theater. An industrial, mechanical take on male/female relationships underscore this stylish, abstract, sharp-angled and synchronized work.

The evening also features two solos choreographed by Schirtzinger and Wang. Schirtzinger's "Hieroglyphics" transforms the dancer into exotic paintings, with smooth, acute poses and executions. Wang's "Fifty:50" is a freestyle study about cultural duality, complete with bits and pieces of hip-hop and liquid refreshment.

Speaking of hip-hop, Andy Noble's fiery and sometimes poignant "Schlepps, Demons and Mad Skillz" incorporates 13 young local breakdancers. Flips, hand spins, head spins, leaps and high-octane running find custom-made places in this three-part work. The darker second movement -- which deals with angst, disenfranchisement and anger -- is bookended by two lighter, but aerobically technical segments peppered with breakdancing.

RDT has a winner with "Sight Lines." It's a high-energy show for anyone who enjoys cutting-edge, but family-friendly programs.

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