The Union.com
November 30, 2006


Performance of Lori Belilove & Company
by KAREN KENMIR WOLFSON

Resident company of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, Nevada County, CA

Nevada County had a rare opportunity to view, in the present, the visions of Isadora Duncan. Lori Belilove brought her dance company Nov. 18 to The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley to the hushed amazement of a full house.

Isadora Duncan (1878-1927) was considered the "mother" of modern dance. She thought classical ballet at the time was too restrictive, too stiff, too controlled. She wanted to feel the wind through her hair and run free, letting the environment envelop her.

The program began with a young "Isadora" (danced by Hayley Rose Brasher, a talented 13-year old company member) dancing "The Early Years." Hayley has a beautiful, expressive body that began in her face and continued through her feet. I don't believe Isadora could have danced more beautifully.

In the hour-and-a-half performance, we watched eight all-female dancers plus a dozen local children (all students of Marianne Reagan's Moving Ground Dance Studio) share with us this unique style of dance. The music, played superbly by Music in the Mountains Artistic Director Paul Perry consisted of variations by the masters. The dances are simple compared to today's modern dance but so elegant that you feel every movement of the arms, every skip, every leap. In fact, those are the basic steps of Isadora: skipping, running, jumping, leaping and tossing. Each dancer has classical and other styles of dance as part of her experience. All of the company dancers, except the youngest, Hayley, have degrees in dance from very prestigious schools.

The dancers made the dances lyrical, some more than others. There was a look of purity on their faces that, combined with the silk flowing tunics, gave each a willowy appearance. Lori herself danced in more than half of the sections, and her dedication and love of Isadora was evident throughout the evening. Finding a favorite piece is difficult, but I think the revolutionary section was my favorite. But then, I'm partial to that flavor of dance.

The audience gave the dancers a well-deserved standing ovation. Little did the children know how fortunate they were to be included in this professional company and how fortunate we, the audience members, were to watch them. Hopefully, Lori will return again to honor us with another amazing performance.

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