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INFINITY DANCE THEATER
By Phyllis Goldman, Back Stage
August 31, 2001
Back Stage: The Performing Arts Weekly, August 31, 2001
Kitty Lunn is a marvelous creature, an exquisite dancer with an
upper body of seamless fluidity, a touching emotional tone in her
movement quality, and a complete mastery of her instrument. Did I
mention that she sometimes performs from a wheelchair? In her
performances in the several pieces she blesses with her
extraordinary gifts, her inability to use her legs is no detriment.
Rather, she has made a friend and partner of her wheelchair, and the
results are both creative and gratifying.
Infinity Dance Theater, the company she founded with Christopher
Nelson in 1994, gave three performances (so little for so much) at
the Kaye Playhouse in July, and everyone who attended was blown
away. There were eight pieces on the excellent program, which also
included the discovery of a new choreographer, Gabriela Poler; a
challenge give to dancer Marc Brew (in a wheelchair); and an
opportunity to see "Hoop-La," a new piece from the palette of
precocious Peter Pucci.
Poler took the poetry of Pablo Neruda as fodder for her
choreography. The words ringing out were wedded to the movement she
created. After the stirring opening image - Lunn on the floor
grabbing the ankles of the standing dancer before her - the piece
took hold. And then Lunn was on her feet, being dragged, supported,
crouching, standing on her hands - Poler spared no investigative
turn in fine-tuning her movement incentive. Lunn needed support from
Poler and Kerri Stillwell (a third dancer), but it was Lunn who was
defiant and infinitely courageous.
And then there was "Hoop-La" and the magic of the hula hoop. One of
Pucci's great choreographic assets is his ability to take a concept
or a prop (as in Pucci Sport) and examine it every which way, glue
it together with good music, and make a witty and lively piece.
Lunn's choice to include this work in her program was right on.
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