Lacina Coulibaly (left) and Wendy Jehlen (right) perform their quantum physics-inspired dance duet, “Entangling.”
Last Friday, January 13, at 7:30 p.m., professional dancers Lacina Coulibaly and Wendy Jehlen took to the Paul Mellon Arts Center’s main stage to perform their dance duet, “Entangling.” The origin of this unusual name comes from the dance’s inspiration of quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which two atoms that are physically separated in space and time become — for all intents and purposes — one. The dance examines interpersonal energies over extended distances, derived from a description of the spectacle on a podcast called Invisibilia.
The story encapsulated the unstinting journey of two atoms searching for one another, initially physically detached, and then coming together as one. On the stage, light was used intelligently to display the two atoms as being distinctly separated, with single light beams occasionally connecting the two on the dark stage. They danced together, always streamlined in unison, displaying the feeling of the tug of invisible connections at all times. The story was truly romantic at its core and encapsulated the idea that distance cannot prevent attraction. Coulibaly and Jehlen strung together different dance styles, such as African, Indian, Capoeira, and contemporary, and the mashup played out beautifully on the stage. Although some of the pieces on their own were broken down into choppier portions with vastly differing music, the integrity and complexity of the dance remained very much intact. Through various lifts, turns, and rolls, Coulibaly and Jehlen connected with an undeniable force.
Both Coulibaly and Jehlen are widely celebrated dancers with many artistic styles in common. Jehlen’s strengths lie in her storytelling, which includes a variety of dance styles, such as Odissi, Kuchipudi, Capoeira, Kalaripayattu, West African dance, and contemporary dance. She has been recognized for her work by groups such as the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the Boston Center for the Arts, the American Institute of Indian Studies, the Boston Dance Alliance, the Fulbright Program, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Jehlen has been the Artistic Director of ANIKAYA Dance Theater since 1998, an organization that, according to its website, “weaves together music, dance and storytelling to create works that pull from the full range of the body’s communicative capabilities.”
Coulibaly, on the other hand, is deeply invested in traditional African dances, as well as contemporary influences. He has collaborated with many renowned international dance companies and individually with artists. He aims to provoke questions of the integration of the traditional and the contemporary. His latest solo,
“Transcendence,” shows this most explicitly, examining faith in urban life and religion. Coulibaly has also worked at many colleges and universities, including Yale, Brown, and Cornell.
Last week, Coulibaly continued his pattern of teaching in higher learning institutions by teaching master classes to the dance program at Choate. He taught Choate students traditional West African dance and also picked ten students to work on a piece of his creation, to be performed in the spring. This piece, choreographed entirely by Coulibaly, mixes contemporary and West African styles.
