Burgess' theatrical 'Hyphen'

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By Jean Battey Lewis

Mr. Burgess and his finely honed group of dancers unveiled a world premiere, "Hyphen," over the weekend at George Washington University campus.

His new work followed three earlier works on the program that covered a five-year span; together they made a remarkably holistic evening. They all deal in different ways with the choreographer's overriding theme - examining the many ways people can feel like the Other - whether it be leaving the land of their birth, discovering that they look different from the people around them or trying to bridge the gulf that separates them from others.

That theme comes naturally to Mr. Burgess and many of his dancers: He has a Korean mother and an American father; the birthplaces of his dancers include Peru. What they have in common is a remarkably seamless way of moving and an intense, clear focus that compels an audience's rapt attention.

It has been fascinating to watch Mr. Burgess' growth in his 15 years of making dances here.

"Hyphen" shows his increasing interest in highly theatrical staging: His stage blazes with the sudden snap of blood-red back lighting or the glow of a luminous white path on which his dancers walk. The technical skill and uniformity of his dancers' style make an ever-greater impact.

Mr. Burgess has often used striking props, but in "Hyphen," he also makes imaginative use of projections from the video artist Laura McDonald.

Sometimes I think Mr. Burgess expects too much from his audience. His choreography is poetic and quite abstract; at times it can seem too abstruse, leaving too much to his viewers' imaginations without a road map to guide them.

To me, his most successful works in the past have had a thread, even if a slim one, to provide that support.

In an audience question-and-answer session after the performance, Mr. Burgess said he thinks each artist has a life story that intrigues him and is central to his work. This thoughtful artist clearly has found one for himself that increasingly resonates as our world becomes more interwoven and the need for understanding of the Other becomes ever more crucial.

In its own small way, this 11-member company is underscoring this need. In the past year it has traveled and performed in Mexico and Peru.