A bit of blissed-out Americana, of escapist fantasy, goes down pretty easy these days. And that’s what Giordano Dance Chicago delivers with Ray Leeper’s new “Feelin’ Good Sweet.” A former Giordano student, he’s gone on to choreograph for music videos and tours, television (“So You Think You Can Dance”), musical theater, film and Las Vegas shows.
While his “Feelin’ Good” is distinctly retro, featuring shameless jazz hands and seductively rotating shoulders, the other four pieces on Giordano’s fall program, through Saturday at the Harris, are more typical of current trends in jazz dance. Going all-out for impact, most use 9 or 10 dancers, lots of unison (even in the duet), a vehemence bordering on violence, and drum-laden “tribal” world music.
Ironically, by looking back, “Feelin’ Good” seems forward-thinking. Songs range from a burlesque-y selection from the 1964 musical “The Roar of the Greasepaint — The Smell of the Crowd” to Aretha Franklin’s 1967 slow blues “Dr. Feelgood” to an updated version of “Get Happy,” first heard in 1930.
Leeper makes deft use of his ensemble of 10 in a shell game of quick entrances and exits and switched partners yet never loses control of the stage pictures, which are utterly clear. Unison, administered sparingly, has terrific impact. And slinky sinuosity — especially for the women but even for the men — comes as a welcome surprise after so much percussive dance punctuation in the other works.
But “Feelin’ Good” also goes well beyond mere expertise. Bordering on rousing, joyous parody, it’s flat-out fun: over-the-top sexy, stylishly cool, with a tongue-in-cheek clarity about its cliches. Costumer Emily Nelson gives the men bowlers and the women, corsets and pointy-toed heels. Kevin Dreyer’s lighting seems intentionally lurid, with lots of deep, bruised colors and, finally, the gold of the dancers’ bodies against black. The first two songs, though slow, are decidedly propulsive, while the last forms the backdrop for some Pink Panther-style sleuthing, marked by hunched shoulders and mincing runs.
Roni Koresh’s “EXit4,” which debuted a year ago, still stands out for its nuance and dramatic arc, which the score underlines: Eventually the dancers seem to awaken to the futility of their violent, even warlike mindset. The final big, dipping steps and scooping arms are deeply easeful.
Jon Lehrer’s 2008 “A Ritual Dynamic” and Davis Robertson’s 2002 “Entropy” feel a little shopworn. Though both are studded with striking, ingenious images, some of Lehrer’s piece now reads as boilerplate, while Davis’ can feel static. Lindsey Leduc’s 2009 duet “Gravity” (substituted for Autumn Eckman’s duet “Alloy” because Maeghan McHale was injured) maps Sara Bareilles’ song word for word yet, bewilderingly, doesn’t acknowledge its despair.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
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Where: Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St.
Running time: 90 minutes
Tickets: $15-$75 at 312-334-7777 or harristheaterchicago.org