Exhibitionism

I Stuck My Head in the Garden: A Romp Among Earthly Delights

McCullough Theatre, Jan. 25

With I Stuck My Head in the Garden, Johnson/Long Dance Company moved into new territory in its exploration of things sexual and sensual -- this marked the first time that the theatrically inclined modern dance troupe eschewed the spoken word in its onstage presentation. Even without textual elements, the 75-minute performance managed to offer the best of the company's upbeat spirit, ample sense of humor, visual creativity, and, most important, a look at the individual dancers' considerable abilities. Athletic and very much working as a cohesive unit, J/LDC is a company that, when firing on all cylinders, presents dynamic, engaging work that is intellectually stimulating and audience friendly.

The evening's collection of dance pieces opened with a bout of theatricality combining the silly faux-romantic parting of two seated lovers, Andrew Long and Nicole Wesley, who reached for each other while their chairs ebbed ever-slowly off stage in opposite directions. While the couple was disappearing to the wings, boxes flew onto the stage, and three other performers, Darla Johnson, Jennifer Tietz, and Rudy Villela, hastened to stack them up in a ragged wall upstage. Later the wall would be neatly reassembled downstage for breaking through (rather predictably, but it was still an effective moment). Another moment of breaking through came late in the performance with dancers stepping through sheer curtains into the light -- breathtaking at first, but an effect dulled with repetition.

The majority of the evening saw the undergarment-clad company in a variety of dances set to pounding music with flairs of oriental sounds and lyrics that demanded love or, at least, companionship. The dancers worked together in a variety of combinations, often arriving in pairs that separated and re-formed into new pairings. Dancers on the floor were flipped up by partners to form standing couples, only to run off to new partners while the routine from floor to upright duo was repeated. Similarly, later in the evening, a pair of dancers might hold hands, with one dancer spun by a partner to the floor, then dragging his or her partner, also spinning, onto the floor in a reversal of dominance. Hands found their way onto bottoms, legs, mouths (but sexual organs appeared off-limits). The neutral demeanor of the dancers gave nothing away. It is Johnson/Long Dance Company's strength that it leaves much to the audience to work out.

Of course, with no editorial signals -- including a lack of emotional connection in the relationships onstage -- what comes into sharper focus are the dancers moving in space. And as excellent as the five were, special mention goes to Nicole Wesley, who seemed to possess strength, lightness, and presence at another level. Sometimes the lights just seem to "find" a performer, and so it was with Wesley throughout the night.

The title of the work is both innocent and ribald (OK, call it "dirty" if you like), a double-entendre that is, ultimately, a coy construction. Such coyness gave the performance its overall atmosphere of good-natured fun; it was a romp in the garden, with nothing remotely threatening or dangerous. As such it was a rather one-sided exploration of sexuality and the body, but, surely, the better, more playful, and ultimately, more pleasurable side.