Kurt Browning's Gotta Dance a showcase of stars
| Source: |
Vancouver Sun |
| Date: |
October 27, 2001 |
| Author: |
Michael Scott |
KURT BROWNING'S GOTTA DANCE
Oct. 26 at General Motors Place
A generation ago figure skating consisted mostly of, well, skating
figures -- the precise tracing on ice of circles and figure-of-eights.
Rigorous and exacting, yes; exciting to watch, no.
As the sport evolved to become more telegenic, commentators began
to compare it to dance. But this is wrong. It doesn't matter how many
quad jumps and other tricks the world's best skaters can produce,
there just isn't enough physical tension in the gliding movements of
skating to create true dramatic tension. It is a movement art, but not
dance.
A ballet like Swan Lake endures because its choreography actually
evokes human tragedy; no amount of dramatic lighting, or soulful music
can turn the average ice show into fine art. The tricks are
impressive, but then so are somersaults from the high-wire trapeze.
The one exception to this has been Kurt Browning, the Canadian
phenomenon whose skating skills have always been paired with a talent
for acting. His trademark ice-skate rendition of Gene Kelly's Singing
in the Rain is a serious attempt to bring dramatic art to the rink.
His latest project goes further still, placing dancers such as his
wife Sonia Rodriguez (a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada) and
veteran Broadway hoofers Ann Reinking, Ben Vereen and Tommy Tune, on
the same stage -- er, rink -- as Brian Orser, Josie Chouinard, Steven
Cousins and other international skating stars.
The project is destined for television, which is well, because
skateless dancers -- even great ones -- stand little chance of
satisfying the far-flung audience in a hockey arena. Whether
Browning's Gotta Dance project actually advances the marriage of
skating and serious dance looks like a longshot -- a sweeps week
longshot, at that.
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