Reviewed by Steve Sucato
The idea of circularity in life and our existing in circles of the individual, the couple, and society was the theme for Israeli choreographer Rami Be’er’s 2012 dance work “If At All,” performed last weekend by Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in the Ohio Theatre at at PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland.
The underlying theme of circles, figurative and abstract, is a recurring one in some of Be’er’s over 40 works for KCDC including 2002’s “Screensaver,” which the company performed in nearby Pittsburgh in 2005, the last time they visited the region.
Set to an eclectic mix of music from alt-rockers Nine Inch Nails to composer Max Richter, the 65-minute continuous work presented by DANCECleveland on Sunday began with a solo by dancer Olga Stetsyuk to the Bon Iver song “Woods.” On a darkened stage backed by a small moon/sun-like projection on a rear stage curtain, Stetsyuk danced with lithesome athletic power in Be’er’s signature full-body, full-throttle movement style. In a crouched stance she stretched side to side into back-bent and arched poses that screamed beauty and power.
