When she started her own company in 1992, the dance maker Melissa Thodos knew that someday she would provide a forum for performers to sculpt their own works. Last summer, Thodos inaugurated “New Dances,” a “choreographic incubator” that culminated in a concert featuring world premieres of works in progress by ensemble members.
Three of those now-finished pieces will make their official debut this weekend at Melissa Thodos & Dancers’ fifth annual home engagement, “Momentum 2002.” Paul Christiano’s Ruth Page Award-winning “Miracle Interrupted” — which received its professional premiere during the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago’s fall season — will share the bill with Amy Wilkinson’s “Hush” and Cameron Jarrett’s “Into the Gap.”
In addition, Thodos is re-tailoring “Reaching There,” her signature gymnastics-based solo for dancer and a giant wheel, for Christiano. Also on the program are Thodos’ 1991 rat race-themed “SYSTEMatic ERROR” and her recent “Vessels” and “Lossfound,” dedicated to the victims of Sept. 11.
“These three [new works] are very different, but there’s a captivating thread of innovation within them,” Thodos said.
“Melissa [Thodos] has always approached her art in a collaborative way,” said Christiano. “With `Miracle Interrupted,’ she gave me free rein to be myself. She’s giving dancers a chance to be on the director’s side.”
In “Hush,” Wilkinson applies athletic movement to her quartet of dancers, who are engaged in a web of cryptic communication. “Hush” was inspired by the Czech Republic’s Velvet Revolution of 1988-91.
“I was drawn to the word `Velvet’ — the idea of overthrowing something in a non-violent way,” explained Wilkinson. “The dancers are passing along a secret that builds and grows. I was looking for dancers with three qualities: flexibility, physical strength and a sense of theatricality. Melissa has been instrumental in encouraging me to combine different forms — like gymnastics and jazz. Today, modern dance is almost an archaic term. The dance that’s happening now is more fusion.”
For “Into the Gap,” a female trio set to a percussive score that includes human breathing, Jarrett celebrates the multiple dimensions of women. Hip hop and the more physical style of contact improvisation were influences.
“I wanted to see how much I could make them superwomen, superheroes and Tina Turner all at the same time,” Jarrett said. “They are powerful, sexy and kind of girlish — honoring those very different sides of women’s personalities.”
Thodos revisits her interest in the marriage of prop and the human body in “Reaching There,” which features Christiano partnering a giant wheel. In “Vessels,” Thodos collaborated with her twin sister, visual artist Diane Thodos, who designed poles and costumes; “Lossfound” is a hauntingly beautiful ensemble work about a collective feeling of loss tempered by hope — illustrated by the inclusion of Thodos’ twin toddler daughters.
“I’m encouraging the artists to create from a very real place of experience,” said Thodos. “And our inspirations are meant to be communicated. Choreography is not a monologue. It’s a dialogue between the dancers and the audience.”
———-
Momentum 2002
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Harold Washington Library Auditorium, 400 S. State St.
Price: $20-$25: 773-404-6871
