Barton: in brief

There were perhaps a few too many "jazz hands" moments for me, and the openings of both pieces (Busk and Blue Soup, an assemblage of excerpts from past works) worked the cuteness factor a little too much for my liking, but there's certainly no denying the exceptional talent of Azure Barton as a choreographer, nor of the dancers she has gathered together here to interpret her work. The combination of the hyperkinetic and the fluid, of bodies massed and in isolation, is what is most striking about the movement Barton creates. As is her superb musicality. Combining accordion and klezmer music with traditional folk songs and revolutionary-style choral anthems, the wall of sound underpinning both works is perfectly matched to the magneticism--and the monumentality--of the movement.

It's easy to see why Barton is a rising star on the international dance scene, and the Chutzpah! Festival is very lucky that she continues to make Vancouver a return stop on her increasingly busy global itinerary.

P.