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As the dancers took their bow, they gathered together in the center of the stage, arms around each other. There was a finality to the bow, a sense of complete giving and abandon to the energy of sharing their transformative experiences at Bears Ears with us.

Indeed, it was a masterful, heartfelt performance that truly was a ritual of healing. That sense of change is evident at every turn. In that half hour, one could forget the contentious, more often brutal, politics that have surrounded the designation of the Bears Ears National Monument. From the opening ritualistic dance to the serene closing moments of the work, there arose a new emotional connection to a land about which hundreds of thousands upon hundreds of thousands of words have been written and uttered.

Sifting through the past, Bill Evans' "Crippled Up Blues" presented the evolving set of ideas that makes something new. Live music by 3hattrio invigorated the performance experience, and the dancers connected as a true ensemble.

"Suite Benny" evoked the era of old Hollywood films, with twirling ballroom dancing and carefully paired couples circling the stage. This nostalgia was initially lost on me, and I settled in to let the movement wash over me. Enter Ursula Perry and Lauren Curley: two magnetic leaders, two chaperones that encouraged rather than monitored, two women who decided that pairing off with a partner would not suffice. Instead, they wove in and out of the on-stage couples and performed to the audience, with animation and confidence, that they would pave their own way in their created world.

The movement was dynamic and accurately reflected Miller’s intent. Real drama was conveyed by the eight extremely strong dancers in the telling, retelling, and diverse experiences of the “event,” until the “event” became the remembered experience and no one really cared or could recall what the original “event” was.

The most fascinating elements were how Miller exploited the dancers’ natural spatial relationships in movement (particularly how they overlap as well as separate from one another) and the choreography generated plenty of surprises along the way. The dancers amplified these moments with superb eye contact and gestures.

Each of the four dance tableaux became living paintings that literally could have been produced at the time of the composer’s life in the 18th century but they also are timeless (kudos to the lighting design of Pilar I who followed the original as created by Clifton Taylor).

Perhaps the simplest way to characterize the composition rounding out the first half – Lar Lubovitch’s Something About Night, a work the choreographer created last year to celebrate his company’s 50th anniversary – is ‘Wow!’

"Humphrey is one of the founders of modern dance. RDT strives to keep historical pieces like Invention, in front of the public eye so they do not get lost as time marches on. This piece was danced by Dan Higgins, Elle Johnson and Ursula Perry. The movements showed great strength and control by the dancers. The movements were slow and technical. The piece showed to me how much modern dance has progressed and yet without the foundation of great pioneers like Doris Humphrey modern dance would not be where it is today."

"...Donald McKayle’s Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder from nearly 60 years ago is as timely as ever...The men are put through grueling physical movements that evoke the punishing labor chain gangs had to endure. Meanwhile, Perry takes on various dimensions that do not convey a specific female character as much as they represent aspirations of freedom, nurturing, love and compassion."

the film is a flattering cinematic representation of two internationally known dance institutions based in Salt Lake City with a well-established history as pioneers.

Heller’s pieces effectively utilized repetition and escalation on many levels. The solos were interspersed throughout the program, grounding what was otherwise successive and fast-paced. Each solo was set to the same Bach prelude (from Cello Suite No. 1). Each dancer occupied the same space while moving through graspable patterns of repetition into escalations of phrasing that then moved beyond our ability to track.

Opera also engendered some truly elegant moments, as in Sharee Lane’s translation of the aria O Mio Babbino Caro from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Perry’s solo elucidated the innocent appeal associated with the main character’s daughter, ending on a radiant note, precisely matching every line in one of opera’s most familiarly gorgeous arias.

Many of the more than 100 RDT alumni have established their own companies or have become international choreographers with many awards, commissions and distinctions of reputations. There is no doubt that legacy will expand with the company’s current corps of dancers.

One of the most important takeaways from Repertory Dance Theatre’s (RDT) artistic culture is the sincere encouragement its dance artists receive not only as performers but also as choreographers.

I look forward to seeing the ways in which both companies push themselves to find new ways of engaging audiences for the remainder of this season, and I’m especially excited to see them integrate their new discoveries into live performance... when we finally get there.

"Dancing the Bears Ears is destined to be part of the essential canon of artistic works that represent the authentic voices and spirit of the American West."