Peter London, Global Dance Company at Adrienne Arsht Center.

by Rebekkah Mar

I am not a professional critic or even a fan of dancing. Besides the fact that I lack foot coordination and cannot maintain balance, I wouldn’t be able to differentiate between a proper arabesque and a pointed hand raised above the head. However once I entered the Carnival Studio to watch the Peter London Global Dance Company, I couldn’t wait for the performance to begin. Imagine walking into the theater with jazz music in the background and people happily chatting about the anticipated dances. The atmosphere was perfect. All of a sudden the spotlights lit up the small stage focusing on a single female dancer in the center. After she captivated the audience with her lyrical moves swaying her arms and moving her legs in a joyful yet calm fashion, the rest of the dancers accompanied her on stage dancing energetically to the traditional Haitian song, “Papa Legba.” The segment of the show was called Pathway, “Give Us Safe Passage to Guinea”, which was clearly conveyed through the cultural dancing of the Peter London Company. I felt as if I was witnessing a typical village scene as the dancers communicated with animated expressions on their faces and moved to the rhythm of the drums.

The next dance titled “Remembrances” was danced to “A Song For You” by Donny Hathaway and sung by Chadwick Watkins. This piece was nothing like the previous. It was filled with passion, love, and emotion. The dance initially focused on Leon Cobb and Michael Alonzo Supado Brown as two men who have deep profound feelings for one another. They were later joined by Eric Boyd and Johan Rivera. This dance was intimate, but strikingly simple. One could feel the emotion and pain from the dancers and feel their hearts ache as well as skip a few beats.

Emotions did not cease with the next soloist. Sasha Caicedo danced “Rain & Wings” successfully stealing the attention of every audience member. The audience was astonished as she danced as if the tiny stage was an exotic rain forest. Leaving the audience mesmerized, one could only hear her breath with every move she made.

Before the dancers departed for a brief intermission, they ended the first segment of the show with a dance titled “Seoul Soul.” This dance was the most confusing, yet amazing and difficult performance that I have ever witnessed. It began with silence as the dancers marched on stage with a picture of mountains projected on the screen.  The picture transitioned to an eagle and then to a stone figure as frightening yet religious meditation sounded in the background. The dancers acted as if they were in a trance, devotedly worshiping and praising the religious figure on the screen. But as the meditation increased, the dancers danced more intensely. So many things happened simultaneously.  Girls were being carried, the men danced across the stage, and the screen projected a majestic dragon as the background.  Then the music stopped and the room was filled with silence. As the dancers froze, Sasha Caicedo and Adam LeGuerre gracefully danced on stage as the rest of the company moved around them. The couple was quickly abandoned by the rest of the dancers leaving them to embrace to peaceful instrumental music. Once the dance ended, the rest of the dancers returned to the stage forming a circle. This was the epic finale to the Seoul Soul dance. Impressive acrobatic flips were performed, each one becoming more intense as the audience cheered and applauded till the dancers stopped and froze to end the first half.

The latter part of the show was as impressive as the first part. It began with the “Femme Nomneal” performances. Five female soloists performed dances with their male partners conveying one’s journey and adversity with love. The dances were no doubt entertaining, sassy, and thought-provoking. Another appealing aspect was the choice of repertoire. Each dance was based on the lyrics of the timeless jazz songs of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, Dionne Warwick, and Patti LaBelle. But amongst the five soloists, Anastasia Grand-Pierre’s performance of “What Can I do for You’’ stole the show. Her performance was filled with confidence, attitude, and joy. Besides the fact that her dancing was extraordinarily impressive, her face conveyed so much emotion. Her contagious smile and spirited dancing not only received cheers but the loudest applause.

This piece was followed by the provocative and most dramatic performance of the night, “Carmen.” It was performed by Stephanie Fuentes, Adam Le Guerre, and Johan Rivera. Based on the operatic story of the flamenco style love triangle , the dancing was fast-paced, passionate, and so entertaining. I was on the edge of my seat anticipating the reactions when the grieving lover  is faced with Carmen’s unexpected death.

To end this formidable concert, the dancers performed a piece called “Shango & Oshun.” This dance involved transitions, dramatizations, fast-paced music, and harmonized dancing. So much happened at once, this undoubtedly was the perfect ending to a stunning evening. I felt as if everything I had seen was incorporated in the last performance; the complex footwork, the motions of the hands to the ceiling, the particular dancing on the toes, and the vividly colorful costumes. Once the song concluded, I could see the dancers breathing rapidly as I was doing same.  The Peter London Global Dance Company was a cultural, impressive, emotional, and very professional dance troupe that not only had everyone audience member stand applauding, but transformed me into a fan.