Koresh Dance Company presents the fifth annual 'Come Together Dance Festival'

On opening night, the first of eight dance companies, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, performed entertaining and original selected works. In one piece, a male dancer approached an aluminum washtub into which female dancers poured buckets of water, waiting on him like spa employees. Instead, he did a headstand in the tub.

An erotic duet between Kelly Trevlyn and Theodore Fatscher impressively showcased their strength and control in a series of slow lifts. In one, Trevlyn dangled upside down by a single leg draped over her partner’s shoulder. The final works from JUNK previewed its upcoming holiday show, which promises to be an original sendup of familiar stories and characters such as drunken Drosselmeyer and trashed elves inside aluminum trash cans.

A spectrum of dance

JUNK’s irreverence gave way to Megan Flynn Dance Company’s classicism and sincerity in “Swift Shifts of Identity.” As Flynn and Randall Anthony Smith danced in tandem, moving together but not in sync, this work evoked the way partners may struggle to maintain distinct “I” and “we” identities. Their movement evoked modern dance, and in one striking section they were illuminated by a spotlight as Smith lifted Flynn and then folded her body down to the floor as she brought her forearms together, folding in upon herself.

Matthew Soojian’s “Altare Memoriae” made inventive use of an office chair. In the first section, Shelby Glidden used her arms to gesture and her body to form shapes as she spun in the chair, alternately sitting, straddling, and lying. Later, Fallon Gannon and Gabriella Proffitt entered, their gauzy skirts and graceful ballet-inspired arm and footwork making me think of fairies. Would the fairies grant Glidden’s wish?

This viewer’s wish for a large ensemble dance was granted by Peridance’s “Dia-Mono-Logues.” It wowed with eight dancers filling the stage with movement in various tempos, formations, and levels. Some dancers paired and moved together while others stood frozen, then the pattern shifted.

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In its memorable final scene, dancers formed a circle, removed their sheer outer garments, and tossed them into the air. In contrast, Peridance’s “Folie à Deux” offered another look at relationships. Hannah Newman and Colin Heininger portrayed a couple at war.

She recoiled from his hand on her shoulder, he rolled away from her, and they inclined their heads in different directions in a discordant image of failed communication. While expertly danced, “Folie à Deux” lasted a bit too long and lacked resolution.

Power Moves Dance Company’s “Tribe of Men” drew from breakdance and martial arts to depict ways men engage with one another. A moving human pyramid and a leapfrog jump suggested support, with mock punches and a headspin reflecting aggression and dominance. I appreciated the work’s timely examination of masculinity, but its limited range of expression, unfortunately, reinforced the most normative and potentially toxic expectations of boys and men.

Future so bright

Power struggles were central to Kristalyn Gill’s “vespertine,” which she performed with Andrés Peraza, but this piece refreshingly avoided gendering them. A neon “OPEN” sign stood onstage, and the pair alternately switched it on and off to depict individuals’ conflicting desires. In one moving scene, Peraza lifted Gill under her arms, then slid his hands up to cover her ears.

Next, Dancefusion’s solo “Strega” evoked religious or occult rituals as Janet Pilla Marini pointed skyward and flipped her skirt in time to beating drums.

The program concluded with four works from Koresh Dance Company. Each of these captured the company’s strengths in ensemble work and choreography, such as elements of Israeli folk dance and Koresh’s signature combination of grace and energetic athleticism. “Crash” featured handclaps and a circle dance, while “Heat” included motionless performers catching movement and momentum from each other as if infected with a communicable urge to move. Melissa Rector’s commanding presence stood out for its compelling mixture of strength and elegance.

Before the show, artistic director Roni Koresh explained what happens behind the scenes to make Come Together possible. The festival takes a year to plan, and its rapid growth requires resources. Then, there are the logistics of five nights of performances in which each company brings its own staging, lighting, and sound needs. Hearing this made me appreciate even more the program’s diversity, and also made me more patient when the pauses between dances grew lengthy.

By the end of the evening, I was impressed with the festival’s scope and inspired by its inclusion of so many companies of different sizes, styles, and levels of notoriety. What began as a local event has expanded rapidly, with hopes of bringing international performers to future festivals.

Continuing growth for Come Together means even more opportunities for established and emerging dancers as well as audiences seeking interesting, diverse, and inspiring dance.