Diavolo rocks the Hatfield Stage

Stage acts come in one of two varieties: those that are describable, and those that are not. Diavolo, Jacques Heim’s artistic masterpiece of a dance troupe, falls into the later category. It is a small-stage event of epic ambition and near-flawless execution. Its dancers form the words to the poetry of movement, direction, emotion, and light. The themes, though sometimes obscured by the sheer scale of the momentum on stage, are present and generally obvious; yet still deliver a unique message to each individual observer. Diavolo’s time here provided Rose-Hulman a cultural event the caliber of which this campus has not seen for quite some time…if ever.

To be honest, I went into Diavolo expecting nothing more than a small-scale version of Cirque du Soleil. And, while the influence of that style could be felt in Heim’s choreography (he did direct Cirque’s “Ka” after all), it served as an undercurrent-a flavor if you will-to Diavolo’s unique style. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Photo: Isaac Sachs The set piece for “Trajectoire” rocked and swayed with the dancers’ movements, and saw regular use launching performers through the air

The show opened with Diavolo’s most-recent addition to their repertoire, “Foreign Bodies,” a dance piece that is to conventional dance what a tone poem is to music; rather than a coherent melody or style, “Foreign Bodies” was chaotic, an expression of the day-to-day struggle of human beings to escape their environment, only to realize that their environment is all-encircling. This was by far the most challenging of Diavolo’s pieces to watch, for many of the same reasons a tone poem (or freeform poetry) is harder to listen to than Mozart, and as such, suffered from the same drawbacks-some people will get it and some won’t. I did, but I had the same reaction that I do to any modern artistic composition: why not make it sound/look/read good? I found the stage direction, lighting, and set incredibly inventive but was moderately underwhelmed by the choreography. I understood the messages (breaking free, love, hate, and back to love), but was generally not very fond of the dancers’ movements, which essentially consisted of sliding down their set pieces. I appreciated the act, but of all of Diavolo’s individual performances, it was my least favorite.

The rest of Diavolo’s show featured more traditional dance fare-these pieces had rhythm, melody, consistent composition, and starkly contrasted with the abstraction that was “Foreign Bodies.” The company-performed “Humachina” was fantastic-a superb balance of unique content and innovative choreography. Delivering a message about man’s dependence on (and sometimes slavery to) technology, “Humachina” featured some of the more dramatic acrobatics-including the creation of a rolling Ferris wheel (which was awesome).

But, by far, the most dramatic aerial work was during the aptly named “Trajectoire,” which launched dancers across the stage, sometimes even directly toward the audience. “Trajectoire” featured a large stage piece, most accurately described as a ship that rocked freely with the motion of the dancers on it. The dancers slid and jumped and launched themselves from this ship in an exciting, sometimes funny, and ultimately foreboding routine that served as an excellent capstone to a great show.

I am no stranger to the more alternative forms of stage performance I’ve seen Cirque’s “La Nouba,” and Blue Man Group, among others. To tell the truth, disregarding scale of performance, Diavolo performs to the same level as those other, more famous ensembles. Diavolo is a group that shows a lot of innovation and a willingness to push the boundaries of the art while not forsaking dance’s roots. Combining gymnastics, acrobatics, dancing, and just a hint of acting, the members of Diavolo show that they own the stage just as much as a larger, fancier production. Diavolo makes a sport of capturing the fantasy of its audiences; all you need to bring is an open mind and go along for the ride.