Roussève: Reality and "Saudade"

David Roussève's Saudade--which opened last night at Danspace Project--has a massiveness, depth and intensity that feels like the whole world coming at you all at once. And his ensemble, David Roussève/REALITY--Esther M. Baker-Tarpaga, Nehara Kalev, Marianne M. Kim, Taisha Padgett, Sri Susilowati, Olivier Tarpaga and Anjali Tata-Hudson--adds to this experience in its unusual, pointed ethnic diversity. The choreographer mines rich veins of culture and world dance movement traditions for this work. 

Taking it all in—all 100 uninterrupted minutes of it—can be overwhelming. It can also give you the blues, as befits its title—a reference to the bittersweet Portuguese music called fado—and leave you with a sense that there are no easy answers to this thing called life, that it is, at once, pain and pleasure inextricably locked together.

That philosophical message, spoken or depicted in a variety of ways, seems a little obvious, but then Saudade reflects the sincere, heart-on-sleeve nature of the music, experiences and feelings that inspired it. Roussève's bold visual/kinetic methods and his fellow dancers' electrifying openness, versatility and endurance, make Saudade worth your time.

Roussève has the sturdiness of a redwood, the authority of an elder. His own performance, in movement and storytelling, anchors this production and reliably guides the audience through its terrain of heartbreaking extremes. Among the creative team, lighting designer David Ferri and video designer Ashley Hunt, in particular, have contributed outstanding work.

At Danspace Project through Sunday, 8pm. For information and ticketing, click here.