Dance Review
By Karen Campbell
Since doctors could never diagnose exactly what was wrong with Donovan's foot and it has never fully healed, the injury has become a serious handicap for the longtime dancers. But instead of packing it in, Donovan has simply shifted gears, choosing to focus more on creating dance than performing.
Tonight and tomorrow night at Green St. Studios in Cambridge, Donovan will present an evening of works exploring the mysteries of transformation. "Metamorphosis" includes five new works performed to original music by composers Michael Oster and Igor Tkachenko. The works range from the humorous "Plunge" which depicts triumph over adversity while unclogging a drain, to "Silence," a group whork for eight dancers, that Donovan calls "an exploration or grieving and being still and present in the moment. ... It's about accepting my limitations."
In fact, all the works on the program are somehow tied to Donovan's battle with her unresolved injury. The solo "Soft" details one women's passage through the process of healing. The quartet "Unfolding" depicts the support system that comes into being during a time of need.
Most directly related is the solo "Squirm," which Donovan will dance herself. "It's basically a one-legged solo, the ways I've explored walking and moving so as not to stress my left foot," she explains.
Though she choreographed before her injury, the process has evolved into a more communal activity. "I give the (the dancers) ideas and images and we play with movement and develop it together. Then I direct and arrange the piece as far as structure."
Impressively, Donovan has 20 dancers respond to her fliers searching for performers, and she has a cast of 17 for the show. "It's quite amazing," she said. "I have all these different backgrounds - contact improv, modern, ballet. And in choreographing these pieces, I've tried to let those different styles come out."
Though Donovan has shared concerts with other choreographers, this will be the first evening devoted entirely to her own works. "I've wanted to do this for a long time, and I felt like my ideas were very focused and I was ready to do a whole concert. I have a lot to express."
Kelley Donovan in "Strange Attractor," Photo by Dan Murphy
A Review of "Metamorphosis" in September 1997