At Kaleidoscope, ‘Angels’ Hover

Even without any classical swans or firebirds, dancers with wings proved the central image of the “Angels Flight” program that opened the annual Dance Kaleidoscope festival of local achievement on Friday in the Luckman Theater at Cal State L.A.

From imaginary bat wings in a “Dracula” ballet to plank-like arm-extensions out of Filipino folk culture, most of the seven participating companies or soloists evoked flying or ascension or airy transcendence of some kind.

Unfortunately, too few of the offerings really took off, mostly because of an unannounced but all-too-evident secondary agenda: allowing a number of aging Southland divas (male and female) to be unrelievedly autumnal. Even with the best performers, a little passive, small-scaled mellowness goes a long way in modern dance, and “Angels Flight” marinated in it for much of the evening.

The vitality of world dance provided respite and rescue, with Laila del Monte’s white gossamer shawl evoking wings with great delicacy in her artful flamenco character study “Dulce Despertar.” Accompanied by guitarist-composer Adam del Monte (her husband), singer Marisol Fuentes and flutist Damian Draghici, she began with an innocent, childlike bravado and sense of unlimited freedom and then shaped her dancing into an ever more weighty, voluptuous and intense coming-of-age statement, with plenty of complex heel work along the way.

In its accomplished “Magkaugnay” suite, Kayamanan Ng Lahi Philippine Folk Arts evoked many winged creatures: eaglets fighting the wind (six men wielding those arm-planks), grounded chickens (12 women clutching clusters of scarves) and a lone, predatory hawk. Live percussion added to the splendor of Barbara Ele and Joel Jacinto’s choreography--the only ensemble piece Friday.

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The relationship between dance and technology dominated three of the works. In “Remembering Viola,” Jeff Slayton paid tribute to his late wife, modern dance choreographer Viola Farber, by dancing behind the gauze scrim on which her dancing image and interview segments were projected.

The most memorable passages juxtaposed film clips of Farber and Slayton dancing together with the sight of Slayton embellishing their duet in the here and now, sometimes reflecting his original actions but elsewhere duplicating hers or fusing the two. A marriage in motion.

In an enigmatic, low-key excerpt from her full-evening “Solo Traveler/Viajera Sola” (music by Gerardo Tamez), Loretta Livingston danced in front of a video collage by Kate Johnson, ultimately upstaged by the restlessly zooming, dissolving, alternating images of surf, Mayan temples, urban architecture and antique portraits. Livingston remains one of the finest dancer-choreographers in the Southland, but has she ever been more marginalized?

Framed by Tammy Ashworth’s pots-and-pans scenic panels, “Dragonfly” recycled ideas from “Stomp” about unorthodox percussion instruments (sheet metal, plastic water bottles, etc.), but ultimately boiled down to dancer-choreographer Linda Sohl-Donnell neatly tapping on a textured board that allowed unusual scraping and scuffling accents. Meanwhile, drummer Bob Fernandez rhythmically thumped on a curiously limited electronic rig (music by M.B. Gordy).

Choreographed by David Nixon, the “Dracula” pas de deux showcased the professionalism of former Angeleno Jim Orrante and Elizabeth Zengara, both currently members of BalletMet in Ohio. Contemporary in style, with no outbursts of virtuosity but abundant partnering challenges, it paired a hunky, reluctant vampire (a la the “Buffy” TV series) with a victim highly agreeable to those fangs in her neck. Anything except more of Nixon’s tortuous lifts.

Completing the program: Stephanie Gilliland’s new untitled solo, a marvel of physical facility in which every muscle looked deeply engaged at every moment--but, alas, still in an embryonic, pre-choreographic state of being, so not yet even a work in progress.

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Dance Kaleidoscope resumes Saturday with the full-evening “Horse’s Mouth Greets the New Millennium” at 8 p.m. in the Japan America Theater, 220 S. San Pedro St., downtown. The festival concludes with a mixed bill Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. $12 (students, seniors)-$18. (323) GO-1-FORD.