Never wandering far from the concept of the “spirit cloth” in the Yoruba religion, The White Cloth communicates the faith it takes to hold onto the fragile spiritual threads of life. The work maintains a quiet strength that impresses one on the most visceral level. The use of fluid undulating movement combined with great extensions beautifully integrates Ramon’s Modern training and his Cuban roots to create the soulful yearning of a people displaced from their community and their home.
Whether performing solo or in an ensemble, the Alayo dancers exhibit a controlled grace and elegance. This sinuous style is demanding and often precarious yet exquisitely reflects how difficult it is to keep one’s center while balancing on shaky ground. In one section the dancers are rolled out in carts similar to light laundry baskets on wheels. One set of dancers hide below while the others balance, statuesque style, atop of thin boards placed over the edge. Although precarious, there is nothing delicate in their movement once the men take their place above. They push the envelope of safety balancing on one leg, twisting and spiraling, trying to reach the infinite.
As well as being a statement of purity, white costuming and simple staging give the piece a stark graphic style. In a beautiful opening solo Tina Banchero dances with a long, ribbon-like white cloth as if it were her partner. In another unusual use of props, a woman enters stage elevated with a huge, billowing parachute for her skirt. As would a goddess who protects her devotees, she reigns over the dancers hidden beneath her white silky skirt, sheltering and nurturing them with her beauty and stature.
There is a profound sensuality throughout Ramon’s choreography that is not inhibited by the mores (or movements) of western society. Ramon, being of a powerful masculine build, is no stranger to partnering or lifts. He expands upon his experience as a dancer to create stirring sculptural duets. In the piece, Layers of Love, the exquisite Patricia West and Ramon Ramon twist and turn with an innocent intimacy that one rarely sees on stage.
Although Ramon usually searches for music after he has developed the concept for his choreography Layers of Love was an exception. He was first inspired by the music of Joshua Bell and then chose to choreograph the duet. Interestingly his music often comes from movie sound tracks as in the use of the moving works of Niki Reiser from Nowhere in Africa.
African music has a strong presence in The White Cloth, and its rhythms are always felt but are rarely used literally. Ramon has paired South African a cappella music with modern movement and West African movement with the Cuban Bata. Carol Steele, a formidable Bay Area expert on Afro-Cuban Folkloric songs, and the talented Morgan Simon bookend the piece by singing the songs of Obatala, framing it in an Afro-Cuban tradition.
Fusing together African movement with western dance is not a new concept. Choreographers have intertwined these styles for years tracing back to Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey, in this country, or as seen in the 1974 film Cuban film Sulkari by Melchor Casals. However what is outstanding about Ramon’s choreography is his ability to fuse technique, style and emotion into a soulful journey.
