Gibney Company: Almost 'Bliss' at Jacob's Pillow

Jordan Powell of Gibney Company performed in "Bliss" on the outdoor stage at Jacob's Pillow on Saturday. (Photo by Cherylynn Tsushima)

Gibney Company has expanded in all the right ways.
 
Founded by Gina Gibney and directed by Gilbert T. Smalls, the contemporary dance company has been around since 1991. But over the years, it has embraced a larger community – reaching out to those affected by domestic and gender-based violence to help them heal through dance. At the same time, Gibney advocated for economic empowerment, diversity and mental health support.
 
All this giving has resulted in their receiving an influx of funds – helping them to double the size of the ensemble and commission choreographers beyond the company’s circle. They have also acquired classic modern dance works from the cleverly jaunty Twyla Tharp. And in the company’s first showing at Jacob’s Pillow in years, on Saturday on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, this marvelous troupe showed off two of Tharp’s early works as well as a glorious work by Swedish choreographer Johan Inger, “Bliss.”
 
Like any dance aficionado, I am always excited to see a Tharp work – not matter how old – restaged. The company offered “Bach Duet” and “The Fugue” – two works that are important in how they moved Tharp’s artistry forward. But neither is particularly enjoyable for audiences.
 
“Bach Duet,” to music by Bach’s 78th Cantata, was likely meant to pull the curtain back on the studio where dancers work. The spitting on the ground, which started the piece off and then became overdone, was one signal. Another is Tharp’s flouncy style – head and arms loose with legs and feet that propelled them forward or nailed them to the ground — making it feel that the two dancers — Eleni Loving and Jake Tribus — were in rehearsal.
 
Though the two did an excellent job recreating the duet’s original vibe, it was hardly charming.
 
Just as I’m wondering if this work from 1974 is outdated, on comes “The Fugue.” This dance for a trio is difficult to perform as there is no music. Rather it is driven a 20-count theme that the dancer must maintain in their minds. The piece, from 1970, demonstrates Tharp’s ability to break all dance boundaries to meld modern dance with tap and ballet. Though I missed the music, the dance still endures as a work of contemporary dance.
 
Art is meant to challenge both the artists and is audience, but I was relieved to see Inger’s “Bliss,” one of those pieces that is savory, a meld of music and seamless movement performed by exquisite dancers.  
 
Set to Keith Jarrett’s The Koln Concert, Part 1, this dance is perfect Gibney as it felt like a community spontaneously coming together, enjoying a romp in the Pillow forest. Runners, lovers, strollers, seekers all came together. It topped off the show with a utopian peek at how diversity can lead to realizing a peaceable kingdom.