Think Like a Dancer

An artist's line of thought varies greatly from our own. While we might think in terms of what bills we have to pay or what we need to accomplish during the workweek, painters visualize thoughts in colors and light, and dancers, such as Canadian Aszure Barton, conceptualize messages in movement. Chock full of contrasting concepts, Barton's contemporary choreography features sharp, almost jerky motions that are complimented by smooth, fluid ones, giving her concerts the ability to evoke a broad range of emotions and an even broader range of messages. When she speeds up and slows down the choreography at seemingly random intervals, Barton leaves viewers almost feeling disjointed, as if the performers aren't just moving through a maze in space but through time as well. Dance St. Louis presents Aszure Barton & Artists for three performances at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road). The concerts are held at 8 p.m. Friday and at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday (March 26 and 27), and tickets, available by calling 314-516-4949 or visiting www.touhill.org, cost $27 to $50.

Fri., March 26; Sat., March 27, 2010