Garrett Ammon of Trey McIntyre Project. Photo Jonas Lundqvist .
Trey McIntyre could not be more blessed. Once this choreographer decided he wanted to slip off his freelance shoes and establish his Trey McIntyre Project as a year-round, touring entity, he found welcoming arms awaiting him at Jacob's Pillow. For the final week of this 10-week summer festival in the Berkshires, the Pillow enthusiastically staged the company's first outing. With equal enthusiasm, it offered the first showing of his two new dances. It was a wise bet for the Pillow, as McIntyre is a friend. In years past, he has had good success with his pickup group, but for the project to make its world debut at the Pillow could not be more auspicious for McIntyre. Just being there automatically ranks the ensemble as world class. And it is.
Seen on its opening night on Wednesday, Aug. 20, the Trey McIntyre Project looks great—shiny, crisp and buoyant. The ensemble of 10 performed pieces that assure viewers that McIntyre is also a happy talent—independent, confident and inventive. It oozes out of the three works and the dancers.
Surrender is the first of the world premieres. The edges of the stage are outlined with red carnival lights. Chanel DaSilva stands alone, looking nervous, in a lacy cocktail dress and heels. Out strides Jason Hartley, dressed as a wrestler. In a high school dance setting, they look at each other and he runs to her in a first blush of teenage desire. She looks tentative, but to the robust beat of Grand Funk Railroad’s Do the Locomotion, she gives into his advances. As the song ends, their pas de deux sweeps along, sweetly romantic, to Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Mirlitons and ends with the two looking at each other again, like they never did before, and realizing they have more than sexual passion. They embrace in honest affection to Regina Spektor’s rendering of Real Love. The piece is brief, and, at times, humorous for it depiction of youthful awkwardness. Surrender scores as it clearly expresses the build-up to young love. There is no better ride.
Chanel DaSilva and Jason Hartley of the Trey McIntyre Project in Surrender. Photo by Christopher Duggan.
McIntyre also injects humor and sobering thoughts into Leatherwing Bat, the other world premiere. Set to music by Peter, Paul and Mary, the dance’s costumes by Sandra Woodall suggest the Renaissance and the movement is classical. The stories sung by the iconic folk ensemble are timeless. Again, McIntyre, as if gauging his own growth from freelancer to man-in-charge, touches on the maturation of his characters.
Here, McIntyre’s quirky garnishes, like a raised and twirling finger, a flick of the head or stomping on heels, are magnified. John Michael Schert and Brett Perry stand out in Leatherwing Bat, for their abilities to delineate the movement. In addition, these dancers can cut to the heart of the choreography's impulse by conveying a deeper motivation.
The evening ends with The Reassuring Effects (of Form and Poetry) to Dvorak’s Serenade in E. The 2003 ballet, created for the Washington Ballet, features four couples, tossing off some playful moves. One of the highlights is the duet with Schert and Lia Cirio. A quiet, gentle duet, their pairing is sublime for its sensitivity.
McIntyre also toys with the audience by slipping in a few false endings, but, like the title implies, he adheres to classical form and creates lush, beautiful poetry in motion. It will be a pleasure to watch this young artist and his company develop. Dance lovers should have high hopes.
The 2008 Jacob’s Pillow runs through August 24 in Becket, Massachusetts. For tickets, visit www.jacobspillow.org.
Wendy Liberatore is the staff dance critic with The Gazette Newspapers in Schenectady, New York.
