'Constellations' disappointing, PS21 has to do better

This photo does not represent what audience witnessed on Saturday evening when LaJune McMillian presented the amateurish "Constellations" at PS21's small ice rink.

A bright idea executed badly is a terrible idea. And for those who watch it unfold, it’s torture.
 
That was the experience on Saturday afternoon at PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance when LaJune McMillian and dancers performed the world premiere of “Constellations” on the center’s small ice rink.
 
The idea of the piece was to create a world where, the website describes, “light, shadow, and motion create a cosmic landscape.” But aside from the electronic score, this 40-minute, outdoor show was hardly cosmic.
 
Instead, it featured four dancers in black bodysuits who had string lights wrapped around their right hands and poorly attached to the soles of their skates. About halfway into the piece, the skate lights unraveled off of one boot. Then another string and its battery pack, not able to withstand the movement, shattered and spewed its contents across the ice.
 
We’ve all seen costume malfunctions. They happen. While the broken lights contributed to the discomfort of watching "Constellations," what made this dance/skate so unbearable was the skating. It was tentative and wobbly. McMillian herself was not a great skater, so why or how did she come up with this idea.
 
The beauty of skating, once mastered, is the sense of freedom. One glides, not teeters, to create a seamless trajectory in any direction. “Constellations,” on the other hand, was lurching and grasping, and therefore unpleasant.
 
Only two of the four seemed adept at skating – but even they had difficulty. Letting go in this tiny synthetic ice rink, about the size of a large conference room, required too many jerky stops and starts.
 
And the promised show of light and shadow didn’t materialize. Rather, a purple light cast was upon them. The mystery of the cosmos was not revealed.
 
McMillian’s choreography was made up of lines and circles – skating dancers coming together and then splitting apart into their own orbits. But again, the skating was not proficient enough to suggest objects floating through space. It was amateur hour, all around. McMillian has much work to do – including learning to skate well -- before “Constellations” is ready to present.
 
Making matters worse, it started about 15 minutes later than scheduled. When people waiting outside with impatient children, it’s imperative to start on time.
 
I’m not sure why PS21 included “Constellations” in its first ever winter festival, dubbed The Dark. It was promoted as free and for children, so perhaps PS21 thought it didn’t have to be of the highest artistic caliber. But this is poor reflection on their choices for their loyal audience who stood outside watching, likely thinking “it’s got to get better.”
 
It didn’t. PS21 has to do better.