STARR FOSTER DANCE STRETCHES ON STAGE

Nikole and I barged through the door of the Firehouse Theatre with moments to spare, gave Starr a quick hug, said hello to Rai Anne, grabbed our seats. The event? The Starr Foster Dance Company's seven dance spring production, "Confessions."

The production moves quickly -- seven pieces in just about one hour, and we reveled in the variety. Undone, performed by Ami Dowden-Fant, opened the evening with a heavy sense of struggle, a woman weighed down by gravity and her own sorrows and mistakes; it was punctuated periodically with brief moments of explosive lift. Having only seen Ami in fun pieces, it was great to see a vehicle for her quiet athleticism and expressiveness.

Songs of Sorrow, one of five premieres, was a stark contrast to Undone. Performed by Laura Grace McMillan, Sara Jansen, Sarah Ferguson and Jordan Livermon, the piece was enhanced by the Firehouse's unfinished concrete wall, which caught the dancers' shadows in silhouette, softening an already ethereal, graceful piece. The grace of the four dancers added to the lightness of Songs of Sorrow, as did the ivory and beige costumes and soft, blue lighting. Its gentle sense of surrender made it the perfect buffer for the first half of the night.

I'd seen Open Your Mouth in rehearsal a month or so back, but there is nothing like seeing a piece lit and with costumes (and a month of practice and refinement). Dressed in funky costumes of stripes and flowers, Ami, Sarah, Briah Hodal, Jordan and Ashley Thibodeau made effective use of the Firehouse wall again, starting in all manners of tense posturing -- illuminated in red light as a male voice begins to intone about thoughts, feelings, anger and other therapeutic concepts lifted directly from a 1950s psychiatric manual. Like the spoken word composition that seemed to drive the five dancers through their irregular paces, Open Your Mouth accentuated the tension that sits in many of Starr's works, the tension between humor and the hint of violence, between individuals and groups.

After a brief intermission, Sarah Ferguson, Laura Grace McMillan and Jordan Livermon returned with Drowning, which was first performed last fall at VCU's Grace Street Theater. What a difference a venue makes! Drowning at the Firehouse, set at low eye level with the audience and on a small stage, was intimate and restrained. The lighting was stronger than during the VCU performance, and the smaller stage gives the piece more weight.

Hiding Exhalation with Sara Jansen and Ashley Thibodeau was the most fluid and restrained piece of the night, and took advantage of Sara and Ashley's ballet training and complimentary builds. The score, by Kentucky-based Century of Aeroplanes, suggested the thundering of horses, or an old locomotive. But Sara and Ashley moved through the piece with a smooth grace that offered a different glimpse into Starr Foster's skill as a choreographer.

If Hiding Exhalation emphasized Starr's talent in crafting pieces for pairs and small groups, Shadowed (in its Richmond premiere) is a reminder that she is equally skilled in her choreography for individual dancers. In a black dress that trailed eight feet -- and powerfully lit with layers of light and shadow -- Briah Hodal performed an evocative, measured piece that suggested a woman being pulled down by the shadows surrounding her.

The evening closed on a fun note with the premiere of Kitchen Tango, which served as an upbeat showcase for the saucy meanderings of Ami Dowden-Fant, Sara Jansen, Briah Hodal, Jordan Livermon and Ashley Thibodeau -- all dressed in black cocktail skirts and colorful aprons. Fun, fun, fun.

Do yourself a favor this weekend -- go see the Starr Foster Dance Project at the Firehouse Theatre (1609 West Broad Street) this Friday at 7pm and 9pm, or Saturday at 7pm. Tickets are a mere $10, and are available at the door.