'Furioso' gives raw emotion, energy

Suspended in the air, the Meryl Tankard Dancers soared through Ann Arbor this weekend. "Furioso," a unique piece, ran 65 minutes, each of which consumed the beholder through sound, sight and suspense.

A cornucopia of rich autumn colors flowed over the muscular bodies of the five women. Beginning gradually with the lights still raised, the women, one-by-one, appeared on stage, slowly, and independently moving, luring the spectator in, until the lights finally went down.

The female dancers were then joined by five male dancers and, eventually, the accompaniment of percussion-based music. The first part of the show was quite a dramatic representation, the women standing still as the men emerged, one at a time, engaging each in a battle to keep his female partner. The scene was intriguing and far more expressive than the others because it seemed to tell a story.

But what the story explained remained unclear until the question/answer session with Meryl Tankard and her dancers following the performance. Tankard explained that "Furioso" was based on an idea of what one does when they seem to be losing the one they love. She asked the dancers an abundance of questions, originally with the plan to do a modern version of "Sleeping Beauty." But she felt their answers to the questions were the most genuine, passionate and compelling. With this in mind, she set out to create the piece and completed it - extremely successfully.

Later in the performance came the part for which the audience had been waiting. Who says you need to have your feet on the ground to dance? Not anymore. Four of the female dancers were suspended in the air by a rope and harness hidden by their vibrant apparel. Paired with four shirtless men, they moved with vast energy and vigor. With long hair and skirts flowing in the air, the overall presentation was exciting and beautiful, leaving the observer fulfilled and energized.

But the roles reversed and the male dancers took to the ropes. The power and physicality of themotions continued until the women sank slowly to the ground and the men took over the scene, who followed in a series of leaps and bounds, propelling themselves up into the air and then onto the ground in a graceful landing. Together, they rushed forward with firm bodies turning themselves upside-down, twirling through the air as if letting all of their frustration and aggression fall out of them.

With the stage dimly lit, they performed in shadows. With a simple set, gray and stone-like, the enchanting music, the ideal costumes and overwhelming energy, Meryl Tankard's "Furioso" left viewers invigorated in every sense. At the end of the piece, the women, reattached to the ropes, climbed up the stone-like wall. When asked what this symbolized, Tankard explained that it's about birth ad renewal. Even in the worst scene of destruction, there is always something sprouting, blossoming; something comes out of everything.

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