Parsons: No other company can compare

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.