OF the three pieces by artistic director Adrienne Brown, performed by New Balance Dance Company in the Samuel Beckett Theatre last night, two were short and very accomplished.
In Sculptura, Eva Garcia, Hannah Leben and Mariam Ribon became moving figures of stone, wood and bronze to Kodaly's Intermezzo for String Trio and Duo for Violin and Cello, while Garcia in swirling red velvet beautifully evoked bereavement in her classically based solo piece This Happened to Kodaly's Sonatina for Cello and Piano.
Between the two was a moving memorial to dancer Fred Berstock by Esther Thompson, joined by Leben and Olwen Grindley, as their white clad, candle bearing figures showed the currents beneath the still waters.
The title work by Brown, Mapping a Route Home filled the second half. To music by Trevor Knight, with voicework from Mary O'Driscoll and Derdriu Ring based on Paula Meehan's poem Home, the full cast joined the choreographer to illustrate it.
It had attractive passages, but the angst ridden theme seemed so laboured and stretched that I regretted the fact that Diana Richardson's brilliantly funny tap piece Tempo Mental by her new company Tapestry, was used as a curtain raiser. Evoking whoops and cheers for Richardson and her four companions in their shirts and braces, it would have raised our spirits as a finale.
