The pairing was just right for Pam Tanowitz (choreographer) and Simone Dinnerstein’s (pianist) New Work for Goldberg Variations at Peak Performances in Montclair (October 19 – 22). And though shouldering up to the renowned score used many times by well-regarded choreographers was intimidating, from the start, New Work for Goldberg Variations scored. Dinnerstein, barefooted, playing in the dark before curtain, eyes sometimes closed except when she shares a smile, shoulders raising and settling with each cord, set the tone for this satisfying collusion of music and dance. A good deal of ingredients from the Cunningham world is also there, but this one is more rounded, less square version, and there is so much that wafts from the dancer’s bodies and Dinnerstein’s chords. Between the sleek unison sequences, quick-fire feet, smart pairings and perfectly-timed pauses, there were a few kick-ball-changes, and a couple of flaps and slaps thrown in. The dancers: Maggie Cloud, Jason Collins, Christine Flores, Lindsey Jones, Maile Okamura, Melissa Toogood and Netta Yerushalmy, with Dinnerstein and the piano was surely enough in Tanowitz’s brave dive into the world of Goldberg Variations, but bringing Reid and Harriet’s beautiful and transforming costumes was a great finish.
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