Parsons Dance is seen here in the electric "Fearless," choreographed by Courtney “Balanciago” Washington.

Parsons Dance is dance as it should be – energizing, musical and expressive. And on top of all that is the Parsons’ spin – incredible athleticism that delights and excites everyone in the audience.
 
It’s a 41-year tradition that roused a vocal audience on Saturday night at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center who were reacting to this marvelous company. Parsons is among the world’s best, and it was great to see them back in the Berkshires with some of their finest works.
 
The night featured the joyous creations of Artistic Director David Parsons including his inimitable “Caught” as well as a new piece by Courtney “Balanciago” Washington that melded seamlessly with the Parsons Dance personality.

Washington’s “Fearless,” set to “Talk to Me” by Champion, Four Tet and Skrillex with Naisha, is another stunner for the Parsons rep. It features the ensemble of eight in a futuristic disco/voguing dance that glow with a post-apocalyptic sheen. The dance is a challenge for the audience, daring them to take on their muscle. They are unstoppable.
 
Though “Fearless” fits perfectly into Parsons physical aesthetic, it is a bit of a contrast to the founding director’s own works that glory in the beauty and lushness of all musical styles. The evening opened with his “Wolfgang” to Mozart music, with dancers spinning and shooting straight in the air like launching rockets but landing like commanding matadors.
 
Here, as in the final piece “Nascimento Novo,” one can sense Parsons’ embrace of the music’s soaring sensibilities. Both Mozart and Milton Nasciemento radiate pleasure and that is what the dances and dancers consistently give to the audience.
 
Parsons goes deeper in “Mr. Withers,” a 2022 work, to songs and voiced over stories by Bill Withers. While the choreography is not the most inventive here, Parsons shows us the underlying tragedy in songs like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands” and “I Can’t Write Left Handed.” But Parsons doesn’t let us sink too low as he opens “Mr. Withers” with a sassy, push and pull in “Use Me” and a final morality message in “Lean On Me” with the dancers swirling as one in a circle on the stage. It was a timely reminder that we are all in this together.
 
The night also featured Robert Battle’s “Takademe” to the vocal acrobatics of Sheila Chandra. Emerson Earnshaw danced the solo with every bit of his body, including his tongue.
 
And as usual, “Caught,” where a soloist is seen at the height of a jump by a strobe light, captured imaginations. Danced by Megan Garcia Ziminski, the piece is always a hit and something Parsons’ presenters demand. Her jumps and lightning did not properly synch at the very start, showing her at the awkward near bottom of a jump. She adjusted and rapturously took flight.
 
While not fair to any dancer, I see savor the memory of the statuesque Parsons himself dancing “Caught.”
 
That aside, the company, which sadly has fewer dancers than ever before, is still one of the best in America, if not the world. Here’s a tip: If you want to convert a dance-naysayer into a devotee, take them to Parsons Dance. It’s guaranteed to work.

Ballet Hispanico New York dazzled audiences at The Egg on Friday night with its "CARMEN.maquia."

Ballet Hispanico New York doesn’t ignite fire, this company is fire.

That was clear at the very first steps of this revered ensemble’s rendering of Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s “CARMEN.maquia” of Friday night at The Egg. Amir J. Baldwin as the obsessed Don Jose trained all eyes on his every move – a solitary figure contorting in torture.
 
And it goes from there – passionate, feisty, humorous and touching -- this “Carmen” remake left its mark. Set to snippets of Bizet’s iconic opera score as well as the composers other works, including parts of the second movement from “Symphony in C,” this version seared souls with a clarity and commitment to the flawed characters and their tragic tale.
 
As many know, “Carmen” is a story of clashing emotions. Lust and love spar with duty and fidelity – and in the end Carmen is dead and her lover imprisoned. It also leaves one a widower and another betrayed.

Amanda Ostuni dances the role of Carmen with requisite sass and insouciance – as seen in the sway of her hip and command of all the men who devoured her with their eyes. She toyed with Don Jose as he held her in jail – running her fingers down his back and pinching his buttock — until he succumbed to her seduction.
 
Their duet, at the end of the first act, was intense. He held her aloft, his face buried in her core as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. And then there was their encounter, at the end, when she died. It was preceded by an equally provocative physical struggle – he aggrieved and begging for her return. She, with a flick of her finger, stood her ground with a firm no.

Don Jose’s rival Escamillo was danced with telling tensile conceit by Dylan Dias McIntrye. Don Jose’s betrothed, Micaela, as danced by Francesca Levita, was delicate in her entreaties for Don Jose to return to her.
 
However, Escamillo and Micaela were one-dimensional. And to some extent, so was the title character, Carmen.  “CARMEN.maquia” belonged to Don Jose whose journey from indifference to Carmen to all-consuming fatal attraction to ultimate despair captured the imagination.
 
While many story ballets have their dull moments – mainly those in between were mime takes over for dance -- there were none in “CARMEN.maquia.” The streets scenes were alive with soldiers and workers – many of whom were enchantingly gossipy – fueling the conflict.

Furthermore, the sets by Luis Crespo were light and moveable with gray, black and white screens – of abstract images – that helped to shield the behind-the-scenes transitions.
 
Together, they made “CARMEN.maquia” a thoroughly enjoyable and emotional experience that is worth seeing again.
 
On another note, the decades-old Ballet Hispanico, founded by Tina Ramirez and now directed by Eduardo Vilaro, hasn’t been seen in this region for several years. It’s appearance on Friday night was important as it was the first show to open The Egg in 1978. Thus, it was fitting to usher for the presenters to host its glorious return to the newly renovated theater.

But another showing at The Egg is unlikely. It appears the theater is focused on staging music and comedy. Dance is vanquished as it has been in many other theaters. The reason? Producers say it’s too expensive and no one wants to see dance. No one wants to see dance because no one is exposed because few theaters are willing to stage it. It’s a chicken-egg problem.
 
And with public funding for all arts contracting, once again, it’s unlikely presenters will make the effort to gamble on dance. But judging by Friday night’s showing, dance is a safe bet. And companies like Ballet Hispanico are ensuring that.