In “god of dirt,” Billy Siegenfeld and his Jump Rhythm Jazz Project take their style born of pop Americana and apply it to the electrifying Balkan folk music of Goran Bregovic.
Despite the gritty world view suggested in the title, “god of dirt” is often an exuberant tribal celebration, reminiscent here and there of Jerome Robbins and “Fiddler on the Roof,” down to the repeated miming of the playing of a violin. But choreographer Siegenfeld injects his own style and fondness for surprising details into the piece, crafting movements that echo Greek or Israeli line dancing, and yet sizzle with a cocky, headstrong imagery all their own. His trademark use of hand gestures gets a workout, and his predilection for inspiring the dancers to huff and vocalize has a rich payoff in underscoring the work’s communal joy. There are delicate, quiet moods, too, including a scintillating duet for Siegenfeld and Jackie Brenner, and moments when the dancers are caught still and reflective in the spotlight.
The festive designs interweaving the various folk chains are colorful, and Bregovic’s raucous, rich, melodic music soars with life and gypsy passion. The final circle of rhapsody and surrender is a knockout.
The new work is on view as part of an engagement through Friday at Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium. A somewhat revised “The News from Poems” is also on the bill, mixing bits of poetry and song in an expressionistic pantomime about the evolution of violence in one individual’s experience. Siegenfeld plays an anguished, Beckett-like character who discovers the thrill of his own aggression and only gradually perceives the havoc violence wreaks on society as a whole. The dramatics are still tentative, even obscure at times, and the best aspects of “News” is its rhythmic reactions to the eclectic score, from crackling choral insanity to Richard Buckley’s “The Train” to the seductive ballroom romance inspired by a wondrous rendition of “Manhattan.”
The engagement also boasts a trio of revivals of troupe classics. There’s a tantalizing group excerpt called “Too Close for Comfort,” and a Siegenfeld-Brenner duet dotted with everyday wit and remarkable gesture to “You Make Me Feel So Young,” a dance that truly brings the song lyrics to life. And then there’s “I Hear Music,” Siegenfeld’s irresistible signature, a jazz-pop vocal serenade blending freestyle noise and hilarious riffs on everything from “Oklahoma” to the Rolling Stones.
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sismith@tribune.com
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Jump Rhythm Jazz Project
When: Through Friday
Where: Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
For tickets: 773-442-4636.
