The unforgettable energy of Eisenhower Dance

Eisenhower Dance Detroit performed Stephanie Pizzo's "State of Mind" with students from Union College on Friday night at The Egg.

Before Friday, I have never heard of Eisenhower Dance Detroit. Nor have I ever heard of its Artistic Director Stephanie Pizzo or its choreographers like Micaela Taylor or Marc Brew. But after seeing them at The Egg, I won’t soon forget them.
 
After a four-day residency at Union College, this sleek ensemble of nine performed a hypnotic program of five works that showed off their strength, artistry and daring and demonstrated the coasts are not isolated on the American contemporary dance map. Detroit rocks too.
 
That was obvious in the very first piece, “Legacy Island,” choregraphed Norbert De La Cruz III. When the curtain rises, the dancers appear like underwater sea creatures, undulating with the currents. The music, a compilation with Sun Electric’s “R-Gent” as well as music from Dario Marianelli, Thomas Azier and Peter Gregson, starts off serene, drawing us into a peaceful nirvana. And then comes a crash that clears the stage and a new world emerges, where love and struggle entwine; and how community, togetherness and unity is the ultimate support in the scuffle.
 
The work, like everything Eisenhower Dance performed, drew the audience in with its seamless fluidity. Where the dancers went, so too did our eyes and interest. And then they repeated it with four other works – that though different — show a company striving in breathless realms to break through the noise of the contemporary dance world.
 
Probably, this was best represented by Christian Denice’s “See Me.” In it, dancer Alex Hlavaty, illuminated by a spotlight, dresses in a black suit before getting sucked into a world where everyone looks alike as they pursue their dreams. The piece draws from the universal experience of literally outfitting oneself to move outside the doors – but cautions that conforming is hardly satisfying. In the end, he stripped down – his core and his happiness finally revealed.
 
The audience, many from Union College, were the cheerleaders for the performance that also including a finale with six dance students from the college. Their featured piece,” State of Mind,” was by Pizzo. While not the strongest work in the repertory, Pizzo incorporated the dancers with a harmonious flow. Like the works before it, fearlessness is the key sensation. Running, climbing on top of each other, pumping their fists or falling flat to the ground, the dancers’ high energy keeps everyone engaged.
 
That’s their superpower – drawing and keeping all attention to them. Of course, it helps that the dancers are stupendous – as strong and versatile as anyone performing with Paul Taylor or David Parsons.
 
Eisenhower Dance Detroit is a company is certainly one to watch and remember.