Meet "Hugo"

I strongly recommend Chris Yon's new work--Hugo--running now through Saturday evening at Dance Theater Workshop--if miraculous performances are the sort of thing you like. And, if not, go there anyway. You might end up smiling in satisfaction despite yourself, enchanted by the surprising cohesiveness and coherence of Yon's fragmented movement suite in which "untranslatable and unattachable" nonsequitors subliminally whisper a story that will leave you defenseless. And there's the wonder of dancers Jeff Larson and Taryn Griggs--a kind of arcane, avantgarde Astaire-Rogers, deployed and tightly coordinated by the wildly- imaginative Yon. These two--especially Griggs, a queenly girl-next-door with breathtaking precision of control--will surely hold you enthralled through all 60 minutes (including David Bagnall's unusually lengthy but wonderful opening video). The textures and surprises in the soundscape (designed by Justin Jones, arranged by Yon) are also all-the-way magickal. The soundscape is spacious, capacious and will swallow you up. Surprises and delights continue through to the very end. Yon's other essential collaborators include Karinne Keithley and Nicky Paraiso, in a special musical segment, and lighting designer Chloë Z Brown. I badly needed a shot in the arm--dance-wise, that is--and Hugo gave it to me.

Visit Yon's site for more information and Hugo resources, and DTW's site for schedule and ticket information. And do go!