Les ballet C de la B - Out of Context - For Pina

Out of Context -For Pina, Alain Platel's latest piece for Les ballet C de la B, opened last night at the Harbourfront Centre. What began when nine dancers walked unassumingly onstage and began to strip, was followed by eighty five minutes without pause; and was greeted by an enthusiastic ovation from the breathless crowd at Its close.

Out of Context feels more like contemporary performance art than most modern dance. The use of dissident sounds as the soundtrack is certainly not new for contemporary dance, but vocal contributions from the dancers might be. Singing, or vocalizing in general, are usually a terrifying prospect for a dancer, but in this case, the cast of Out of Context seem to enjoy their diva moments. And even hammed them up a bit much to the audience's amusement.

There were some very funny moments in Out of Context but it was the sort of humor that is born out of familiarity and recognition. It was an exploration of animalism and innocence. Case in point, was the section of the piece where dancers made baby-like faces while an actual toddler looked on smiling. Young children have such a humanising affect on adults and that connection grounded the piece and made it joyous for the audience. But it was not all light and frothy. Out of Context is very demanding of the dancers and showcased incredible strength, precision, fluidity and timing.

The timing was especially important and difficult since much of the sound was recorded, and as mentioned, rarely approached anything melodic. Initially it was hard to know what to make of the farm noises, dancers breathing and muffled static. Contemporary dance is often criticized for being unappealing to a general audience for its seeming ambiguity and vagueness, but Out of Context avoided that by being refreshingly cohesive and captivating. At Its core the piece reflected a kind of innocence and primitivism, both aggressive and nubile. The choreography did at times veer too heavily toward the spastic but overall Out of Context - For Pina was wholly engrossing and beautiful.

Out of Context - For Pina runs until Saturday at the Fleck Dance Theatre at the Harbourfront Centre. Click the header for ticket information.