Black Label Movement: Wreck

An ore boat sinks to the bottom of Lake Superior. Inside the last watertight compartment, several people await their certain fate. As the final hours pass, meager hope quickly devolves into stark despair and bleak acceptance. Such is the emotionally unsettling yet fiercely provocative setting for Wreck, the first evening-length work by choreographer Carl Flink and Black Label Movement. You can almost sense the rocking and creaking of a ship falling apart, while the sense of disorientation that emerges in the wake of a disaster is palpable. Flink and his fearless troupe, including acclaimed dancers Kaori Kenmotsu, Megan McClellan, Eddie Oroyan, and Laura Selle, push the edges of physical endurance as they explore the darkest moment in any person's life—the horrible realization that death is inevitable. Is the best reaction to fight or to succumb? To reach out to others or to retreat deep within the self? All of the options are explored in this powerful work performed by a group of dancers portraying lost souls who refuse to pass calmly into the abyss. Mary Ellen Childs provides the original composition that sets the hypnotic tone, and Great Lakes buffs will appreciate the vintage 8mm footage taken by ore boat captain Harvey C. Almstedt.
Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Starts: Jan. 11. Continues through Jan. 20, 2008