KUNST-STOFF

Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Dance Rita Feliciano The San Francisco Bay Guardian Seven years ago, KUNST-STOFF burst onto the scene with a series of brash attention-grabbing works that, in retrospect, were more notable for the sheer audacity of their theatrical experimentation than for their originality of thinking. Today, they really cook - KUNST-STOFF is one of the hottest, most sophisticated dance companies around. They still embrace a seductive spectrum of theatrical values, but they are into choreography that is as lusciously sensuous as it is adrenaline - and power-driven. None of the six dancers embody that style as brilliantly as gorgeous Kara Davis, who - if the idea were not so absurd in this type of art-making - surely would be the company's prima ballerina. She can flip a partner, liquefy her limbs and melt down, and thr next moment turn a mean pirouette. These days, artistic director Yannis Adoniou not only has a cohesive ensemble that can realize this multifaceted dance theater pieces, but also he works with excellent collaborators such as photographer Cara Judea Alhadeff, who created the haunting visual design for the 2004 In-Sight. Moving away from dance as a primarily visual art may not be original; tap dancers have done it for a long time. But for the new as we close our eyes, Adoniou goes all the way, giving us yet another perspective on dance as a total experience. He draws on his work with sign-impaired and blind people for the piece, described as an "interactive journey" that draws on senses other than sight.