DanceAspen presents ‘Shifting Forms’ at the Wheeler

DanceAspen’s “Shifting Forms” features pieces from internationally-acclaimed choreographers Garrett Smith, Ihsan Rustem, and Yin Yue Aug. 27 and 28 at the Wheeler Opera House. The theme revolves around navigating uncertainty, the inevitability of change, and how humans adapt and create new possibilities.

“‘Shifting Forms’ is a love letter to transformation, reminding us that change can be as breathtaking as it is inevitable,” DanceAspen Executive Director Laurel Winton said. “By trusting the unknown, we find beauty in its unfolding.”

The evening begins with Yue’s “Ever After” — an audience favorite performed in 2023. The athletic work fuses Chinese folk with contemporary dance in Yue’s signature FoCo Technique. It explores how subtle changes build into a cumulative effect, which eventually results in significant impacts.

Then, a documentary by Elliot deBruyn reveals a day in the life of DanceAspen’s artists during their preparation for “Shifting Forms.” As a visual journalist for “The New York Times,” he captured their creativity, artistry, and physical skills, noting that “DanceAspen’s abilities as a company are exceptional.”

Once the dancers take the stage again, Smith employs oversized coats and bold makeup through his energizing world premiere, “The Coat Series.” Just as Picasso repeatedly explored one specific concept in his blue series in order to evolve creatively, Smith revisits coats, which to him symbolize something that can shift emotions, aesthetics, and, of course, choreography.

Set to music by Nils Frahm, a German composer who often combines electronic elements with classic music, the piece evokes “a mood of mystery and a hypnotic trance,” Smith said. “I envision the performers immersed in this energy, almost as if they were casting spells or being under one themselves. While the work is abstract, it promises a visual and energetic experience for both performer and audience.”

In that vein, he invites audiences to let go of thoughts and rather to feel, or experience, what’s happening on stage.