Bodytraffic brings Neenan back home

In Philadelphia, we get new Matthew Neenan ballets regularly. He is choreographer-in-residence at the Pennsylvania Ballet and a cofounder of BalletX, where he still frequently contributes new work.

He is one of us.

But he has also been gaining commissions and recognition from companies all over the United States. (The New York City Ballet is performing a new Neenan work this week.)

So it’s a bit of a surreal delight to see a visiting company bring a Neenan piece to us. A Million Voices, set to songs sung by Peggy Lee, got its Philadelphia premiere Friday night when Bodytraffic opened at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Lee got her start as a welcome distraction during World War II, and Neenan’s work is also a breezy, fun bit of relief during a time when – whatever your convictions – the news comes fast and furious.

A Million Voices is Broadway style, with humor, costuming, and playful choreography. Each dancer brings a distinct character. Someone looks ready for the beach while another is dancing difficult jumps and turns. Taking yourself too seriously? Someone might pour her drink over your head.

It is also interesting to see Neenan’s work on a different palette – a company we don’t often see – which makes it clear how much he has developed over the years.

Bodytraffic also brought a world premiere to the Annenberg, Wewolf’s Resolve. This duet has two of the company’s men dancing in a rectangle of light. Set to music by DJ Tennis, and using hip-hop isolations, it has the men meeting, competing, and then supporting each other. Sometimes they seem to be one being. Sometimes they are more robot than man.

It’s an interesting piece, but it was a little hard to focus on the details. The dark background, pool of white light, and gray costumes did not provide enough shades for easy viewing.

A similar problem marred the opening work, Fragile Dwellings, choreographed by Stijn Celis. The dancers performed under a series of long icicle-type lights that changed colors and then “melted” during the performance. But the lights took so much focus away from the dancers that it was hard to focus on their performance.

Bodytraffic, a Los Angeles company, is known for its versatility of styles. Ohad Naharin’s George & Zalman solo, set to Arvo Part and others, was definitely not for everyone, featuring much repetition and some coarse language. But the movement was beautiful, and it was interesting to see the work of the Israeli choreographer who influenced Ronen Koresh, whose own Koresh Dance Company was performing across town.

Richard Siegal’s o2Joy, on the other hand, was just as the title suggests, a festive dance to crowd-pleasing music by such artists as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Glenn Miller, and so was something of a companion piece to the Neenan.

DANCE REVIEW

Bodytraffic

The program repeats at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets: $29-$58. Information: 215-898-3900, AnnenbergCenter.org