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AUDIENCE REVIEW: Syren Modern Dance in "Ithaka, A Homecoming"

Company:
Syren Modern Dance

Performance Date:
May 5, 2023

Freeform Review:

ITHAKA takes as its inspiration Cavafy’s great poem of the same name, describing the 10 year journey  of Odysseus back to his homeland following the Trojan war — a journey not merely physical, but also psychological in nature.

This Ithaka equally is a journey to a present world in motion. In it we observe the growth of over 20 years of Syren, a company with deep performance and teaching roots in this city. Many of the earlier productions are gestured at. So this also is a summa and sort of homecoming.

The dancing is fresh, well-executed, joyous, and at moments, pensive. It offers a lyric condensation of the human condition as conceived by the choreographer (Kate Sutter) and company. Rivkins Christopher ‘s explosive power and Alice Chacon's fluidity are marvels to behold, and it was particularly gratifying to see Lynn Peterson and Kate Sutter, the co-founders dancing together — a most appropriate coda. Indeed, there were no sour notes to the evening — remaining company members are equally  praiseworthy. The Calimossa score was propulsive and hip-hop based. The audience was fully engaged with the piece.

We can only wish Syren another 20.

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”

― T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets: A Poem

Author:
Richard Katz