Stephen Petronio's "Like Lazarus Did" was a successful collaboration of modern dance, fashion, live music, and an art installation involving a visual artist levitating and meditating from the ceiling throughout the show. Despite its many parts, this one act dance show at the Joyce Theater, was elegantly sewn together and was one of Petronio's strongest and most fully realized works.
Petronio made brilliant use of the space and created an atmosphere that was both sophisticated and whimsical. Son Lux and his band entered the space, animated with a black Second Line umbrella. Son Lux's voice had hints of a dirty Southern Rock mixed and twisted with a new age sound. The band harmoniously accompanied Petronio's choreography and overall style of the work. The Young People's Choir of New York, draped in black robes, filled the aisles and then after the opening song, found a home in the balcony of the theater and were conducted by a woman on the opposite balcony. The choral director's movements and the students focusing and singing, over our heads, was exciting and found a new dimension within the four walls of the theater. The audience was surrounded by Petronio's creation - to the left, right, in front, and from above; we felt a part of this world and were enveloped in his art and creativity.
The dance itself was sensual and athletic with a very clear vocabulary. Straight and angular arms, the women were lifted and tilted by the men as if they were solid pillars. The dancers gazes were inward or towards the ground as if they were Biblical characters in a stained glass window, part of a story or tableau. The dance was well paced and thoughtfully patterned. Each section of the dance provided something new and gave us more insight into Petronio's world and exploration of resurection. The curtain drop was a powerful moment and created a dramatic finish to the dance incorporating a "serpent" or a ribbon that dropped from the ceiling of the stage. Once the curtain rose again, however, the final quarter of the dance felt a bit repetitive until Nicholas Sciscione entered the space and performed a satisfying solo with rounded arms and a curved and contracted spine.
The dance was still the focus of the show and the other elements did not distract us, but assisted us in the journey through Petronio's vision. The audience was given the opportunity to witness a variety of happenings both on and off stage. Overall, this was a masterful creation and a dance performance that was truly three dimensional and a heavenly treat for the senses.
