3 by Dove +1

Those that know me know that I am rarely short on words and never speechless. However, while watching Vespers, the first act on 3 by Dove plus one, all I could think was “Wow, wow, effing wow.” I was so caught up in the performance; I couldn’t analyze it until later.

Vespers is a simple concept, six women in black dresses dancing with chairs. Britney Spears overdid that in her early videos. You have never seen that how Choreographer Ulysses Dove intended. Set to a heavy percussion beat the dancers utilize the entire stage. First moving and swaying in the chairs, then crossing the space to dance in the open.

Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a classical ballet company, but they make the leap to modern easily. Vespers is primal and dramatic. When they are on the chairs, there are times that it looks less choreographed and more like they are all caught up in the same frenzy. It reminded me of worship in southern black churches. Which, I found out later, is what Dove was going for.

I wondered how it would have looked from different angles. Vespers is one of those performances that would have looked different depending on where you were sitting. People higher up would have a seen a different performance than those lower down.

No intermission, just a pause to catch your breath before Red Angels. Four dancers in red leotards accompanied only by a violin soloist. Simply put, it was one of the sexiest things I have seen second only to Kari Brunson’s solo in last year’s Take Five. Like Take Five, people will be talking about this one for a while.

If Vespers brought you up, Angels brings you down. Sexy and sensual, watching it feels voyeuristic. Outside of the movements which were executed superbly, this demonstrates how much can be conveyed through dance. I kept thinking that kind of passion can’t be faked. The dancers not only connected with each other, but brought the audience into their world. After dancing that, I can’t image have two more performances to go.

Suspension of Disbelief by Choreographer Victor Quijada was the “plus one” in 3 Dove plus One. This is just pure movement. Not set, not even a backdrop. You can see the back stage. I don’t read the programs because I like to see what I get out of the art. If you know the artists intention beforehand, you will look for that. Can they convey that to me without me knowing what to look for?

No tights, tutus or pointe shoes, modern doesn’t quite explain it. Suspension is urban ballet. When you remove the other elements, all you are left with is the dance. Quijada keeps mixing it up. No traditional pas de deux, men dance with men, women with women. Quite honestly, it blew me away.

No the concept of men partnering, but the execution. I had never thought about how it would all come together. Men partnering changes the style of dance. There were no masculine and feminine roles, just masculine and masculine. No one was leading and the other following, just dancing together. Lifts with two women are a different dynamic. No less impressive, just different. It was one of those moments that make so much sense you wonder why you have never thought about it before. Of course the dynamic would be different when women pair with women.

I left Suspension thinking it was the perfect commentary for gays in the military. There is nothing overtly sexual about men fighting, or in this case dancing, alongside other men. After Angels, my mind was predisposed to find sensuality in everything, but when Suspension really started going I was captivated by the dancing.

Pairing men with men is like balancing strength with strength, but PNB pulls it off. This also illustrates why PNB can’t have anorexic dancers. The women need to be athletic to be able to pull off Vespers and Suspension.


The night ended with Dove’s Serious Pleasures. A little more classical ballet is thrown in. The set was simple, a few backlit doors, but the dancing was complex. It really was a lot to take in. The solos slowed the pace, but then the stage would be filled with swirling dancers. The slamming of the doors punctuated the drama and the “battle of the hair” where the dancers in turn tossed their hair around threw in a different element. Serious Pleasures showcased that ballet is not all lifts and twirls.

Tragically, the ballet world lost Dove in 1996. Thankfully, PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal has kept Dove’s vision alive for us to appreciate.





*Top photo: PNB principal dancer Jonathan Porretta in Victor Quijada's Suspension of Disbelief.
Bottom photo: Serious Pleasures

All photos by Angela Sterling