Honolulu Weekly

Convergence Dance Theatre / One pair of enormous, industrial-strength work boots and three dancers who fancy them serve as the focal point for “In These Shoes,” one of eight pieces crafted around the idea of stress by the Convergence Dance Theatre (CDT). What makes dancing in boots stressful? These shoes are fettered to a chunk of wood.

This new series of works CDT has entitled Fight or Flight and the show opens this week at The ARTS at Marks Garage. In it, each of the company’s six dancer-choreographers–Jennifer Shannon, Meghen Squires McKinley, Malia Yamamoto, Laura Reichhardt and Roxanne Ingano–takes a different tack on how modern life has been affected by stress and the struggle for survival. To do so, they have adopted a wide-ranging array of styles to support the theme and its variations.

“Superman,” for instance, is a high-energy dance about trust and features numerous lifts, falls and catches. The blindfolded dancers in “Rochechambeaux” perform a “chance dance” ala Merce Cunningham. (Rochambeaux is a form of jan-ken-po or rock-paper-scissors–not the South Park variation.) There are moments, too, of quiet. The reflective piece “Creature Comforts” is styled as a sentimental duet.

The CDT is a collaborative effort of both dancers and choreographers. Founded in 2003, their past shows have included 2005’s Tread Lightly, 2006’s Around the Table, and last year’s Re-Vision, each of which has incorporated a variety of styles–ballet, jazz, modern and improvisation.

CDT artistic director Jennifer Shannon explained that CDT truly is a collaborative venture with choreographers doubling as the dancers in each other’s works. Since last year, CDT has also performed at the Leeward Community College Dance Festival, the Summer Dance Showcase at the state art museum, and at Paliku Theatre with PUJA: An Offering in Dance.