Doug Varone and Dancers, appearing at the Musco Center for the Arts, had three works on the program, all choreography by Doug Varone, showing a great range throughout its history. The company has been around since 1986 and therefore has a lot of work to pull from. Varone does not shy away from emotional content and happily we see this in spades in his duet “Home”. The rest of the evening is a no-holds-barred showcase which ranges from the cacophonous to the sublime.

Doug Varone and Dancers in Varone's "Double Octet" - Photo by Karen Tapia.

Doug Varone and Dancers in Varone’s “Double Octet” – Photo by Karen Tapia.

“Double Octet” (2021) is a piece particularly suited to the company with the addition of student dancers filling out the cast. This is part of Doug Varone and Dancers Education/Performance Project created in alliance with college and university dance departments across the country, a very savvy way to tour work throughout the U.S. university and college system. This project utilizes students to learn repertory and be mentored by company dancers. The outcome is a performance where the university students perform with the professional company members onstage. It is a brilliant way to further learning on a professional level with college students while giving them a taste of what is in store when working with a real touring company.

Doug Varone and Dancers in Varone's "Double Octet" - Photo by Karen Tapia.

Doug Varone and Dancers in Varone’s “Double Octet” – Photo by Karen Tapia.

The first section had the company dancers in grey costumes, loose fitting pants and shirts while the students were in tans, beiges, and browns. The movement was quirky and the students rose to the occasion in their commitment and execution. The company dancers showing strong technique and connections to the partnering and intricate choreography. The second section was only the company dancers and slowed down a bit to give the audience a breath and for our eyes to have a respite. The lighting with gobos was very effective. Then it was the finale with the Chapman University Department of Dance students who brought the piece home. The choreography here was almost Quantum in that it never subsided but remained in a constant state of flux as if every move and reaction to the music was not only possible, but probable. It was incredibly musical in form and realization. Music by Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar was beautiful and flew along propelling the piece forward. The costumes by Gail Beldoni allowed an ease of movement and showed well under stark lighting by Burke Wilmore. Student dancers were: Kennedy Barry, David Burn,  Keira Gestel, Riann Limmett, Randi Moraga, Skylar Peterson, Aubrie Stoehr, Makaila Teagle, Jonah Boswell, Kate Constantini, Kamryn Funk, Max Gravell.

(L-R) Doug Varone and Adriane Fang in Varone's "Home" - Photo by Karen Tapia

(L-R) Doug Varone and Adriane Fang in Varone’s “Home” – Photo by Karen Tapia.

“Home” (1988) is a dramatic duet and in this instance performed by Doug Varone himself with Adriane Fang as his counterpart. The work was an intimate look at a couple in quiet desperation. It begins with the woman sitting in a chair and the man standing looking out, away. She is not looking at him, they have reached an impasse in their relationship, no longer being able to move forward but also not being able to let go. What can be salvaged? Is it possible it cannot? We see these feelings and thoughts cross their awareness. “Home” was an essay in maturity. The nuances of a couple long engaged with one another as well as two performers having been onstage and comfortable with showing their emotions through small movements. There were no steps, no choreography yet all movement was gesture and betrayed what each was feeling throughout. They were both so in need of connection and yet both so blind as to how to make it happen. Being in the relationship together is enough and we see that by the end. It was a poignant tribute to artistry garnered through years of experience and an admonishment to Ageism all at once.

Doug Varone and Dancers in "Restore" by Varone - Photo by Karen Tapia.

Doug Varone and Dancers in “Restore” by Varone – Photo by Karen Tapia.

“Restore” (2024) is a tour-de-force for the company showcasing their individual strengths while underlining how the group dynamic is paramount. The costumes of different colors were baggy pants with short-sleeve shirts allowing full movement by Caitlyn Taylor. The choreography was relentless and morphed between sections from frenzied to focused, specific to languid. Restoring just what? There were many times that the body of the group exhausted itself and then fell to the floor in a spent heap only to surely rise again. This in itself was a restoration of the group, of their energy, of their tireless becoming. Individuals broke out only to be consumed by the group again – a motif I find in a great deal of contemporary companies today. This piece had the added artistry of Lighting Designer Derek Van Heel who painted the stage with light and brought out a three-dimensional chiaroscuro equal to Caravaggio. The legs and wings were removed and the backdrop curtain gone so that there was only a huge open space on the stage. After smoke was added the different groupings of the light could force our perspective to see the entangled mass of dancers as different entities. At one point a street scene in a dark alley in Naples and in another a bustling marketplace in Rome or Athens. The light reflecting off of the skin was most magical of all. The clarity of muscle and sweat and effort was lifted to a divine portraiture here. Kudos to Van Heel, a Vermeer of stage light! The music was operatic and lent itself to the Renaissance feeling of the piece by Festival Voices and Nico Bently, Handel Remixed. “Restore” was a gorgeous piece of work and highlighted the stamina of the company. The dancers were: Courtney Barth, Brad Beakes, Jake Bone, Joniece “Jojo” Boykins, Madison Elliot, Will Noling, Kanon Sugino, Ryan Yamauchi.

It was a joy to witness the Doug Varone and Dancers company to see all they had to offer while also helping to mentor and educate the university students so well. Varones’ work has been seen on the concert stage, in opera, theater and on screen, and thankfully there is no sign of them slowing down anytime soon.

To learn more about Doug Varone and Dancers, please visit their website.

For more information about the Musco Center for the Arts, please visit their website.


Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.

Featured image: Doug Varone and Dancers in Varone’s “Double Octet” – Photo by Karen Tapia.