Visionary Dances from a Visionary Oak Parker
13 November 2007
Wednesday Journal
MOMENTA Celebrates the works of Doris Humphrey
Ken Trainor
The concert opened with works from two of Humphrey’s early influences-“Le Lys (Lily of the Nile)” by Hinsdale area native Loie Fuller (1896) and “The Spirit of Incense” by Ruth St. Denis.
Fuller’s works are notably theatrical, relying as much on props and staging as bodily movement, reflecting modern dance’s emergence from (and transcendence of) its vaudeville origins. A single dancer (Mary Kelly Kren), arms extended by long poles and draped in 75 yards of white silk, revolves in one of Fuller’s standard “whirling dervish” choreographies, creating an effect that is part butterfly, part lily, entirely mesmerizing, thanks to the stylish lighting effects. A vision indeed.
For the full article:
Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest