Kate Weare and Monica Bill Barnes are cozy touring partners, often sharing stages at top New York venues and east coast dance festivals. For opening night of the Wonderland dance festival at UC San Diego's Potiker Theatre, their troupes - Kate Weare Company and Monica Bill Barnes & Company - presented dances that were like un-identical twins, well matched yet opposites in many ways.

Weare's Bridge of Sighs began with a brilliant rhythmic argument. A couple slapped and swatted each other with precision, all in silence except for their "I'm so done with you" breath and sharp staccato whacks.

When an original piano score by One Ring Zero seeped in, another couple joined them in tango forms. After that, the couples split up and changed partners. One man growled. When the women danced together they became very young girls. The movement had a polka quality. The result was a striking image reminiscent of weddings in small towns, before DJ's and Facebook.

Weare then zipped forward in time and effectively created a love triangle. One could imagine two sisters feuding over a young man. Partnering was unpredictable and charged, yet softened with a mesmerizing grapevine sequence on the diagonal. That simplicity made it especially satisfying.

In sharp contrast, Barnes' Another Parade was unabashedly silly from the start. Four awkward women in lumpy turtleneck sweaters and bad school skirts lampooned sexy music videos and the performance itself. Yeow, they got down to James Brown and some cheesey pop tunes.

The dancers - Ms. Barnes, Anna Bass, Charlotte Bydwell and Celia Rowlson-Hall - were all super. They clawed the air like sex kittens, revealed their shoulders and milky white bellies. Their bizzare grimaces were equal to their technically sharp footwork.

Watching the "undatable" dancers grind to Brown's "Sex Machine" was a hoot. At other times they seemed oblivious to the music. They had conversations with imaginary people. You could read their lips. It seemed an odd game, as they knew we were watching.

On the surface, Barnes' choreography is witty and humorous. Those familiar with her work know that she's also sneaky. She lures you in with strange motifs and hits you with empathy and hidden meanings. Another Parade ends with a disco ball and swirl of confetti, and unexpected tenderness.

Yes, the endless wiggling, fist punching, and rubber-faced sneering began to fall flat. But one began to see the women as ordinary - tough on the outside and hoping for acceptance on the inside. I was sweating when dancers pulled audience members on stage to join them. Whew, I gasped with joy because I was safely seated in the center. When the dancers lip-synced "Walk A Mile in My Shoes," the crowd let out a cheer of acceptance for all of the misfits on stage and people in ugly sweaters everywhere.

ArtPower! UC San Diego's Theatre & Dance, Sushi Contemporary Performance and Visual Arts, and generous sponsors joined forces to present Wonderland. The three-day festival also included performances by Chunky Move, of Australia, and Lux Boreal, of Tijuana, Mexico.

Cover with photos

Program

About Wonderland and presenters

Performance Schedule

Historic photos