"Bhangra Fever" features modern dance to a world-music beat

"Bhangra Fever or I'm in the Mood for a Kinda Diasporic Public Sphere": It's an unusual title for a dance performance, but not only does it reflect choreographer Donald Byrd's understated sense of humor, it's actually a fairly literal description of the upcoming show by Spectrum Dance Theater.

So what exactly is a diasporic public sphere?

"The phrase was coined by social theorist Arjun Appadurai," says Byrd. It refers to the idea that, due to technological advancements, the modern world is awhirl in the free movement of media.

"Information and people are migrating at an unprecedented level," Byrd explains, "Which allows access to things that grow out of a specific culture, but are not bound by that culture or geography."

And that's where the "Bhangra Fever" comes in.

"Bhangra is a tradition of music from the northern part of India, whose rhythms are being appropriated into dance clubs," Byrd says. The music has gained a particularly loyal following in Seattle, where the DJ collective "I Heart Shiva" spins Hindi, Bollywood, Asian-dub and Bhangra-hop records for packed crowds every week. (Anyone who has experienced I Heart Shiva at Capitol Hill's Baltic Room can attest to the entrancing power of the Bhangra beat.)

Byrd sweats out his own Bhangra fever with the current piece, employing rhythms of the Asian Massive movement and techno-electronic DJs, including Tabla Beat Science. "Using this music creates a displacement," Byrd says. "It suggests a new level of self-imaging — people can imagine and create themselves differently."

Attempting to translate these concepts into physical movement, Byrd developed choreography that reflects his choice of music. "I've borrowed from Asian dance forms, and incorporated this with ballet-modern-jazz," he says. Known for his fast, charged and often volatile style, Byrd says, "The dancing is at a level of intensity and vigor I'm delighted with."

Also on the bill is a composition by visiting choreographer Thaddeus Davis, who used to dance with Byrd in his New York-based company (Donald Byrd/The Group). The two pieces are united by their exploration of world music. Davis' dance, "Tantric Voices," features music from Tibet, Mali and various other global locales.

"He uses similar movement, but not as angular," Byrd says, comparing Davis' piece to his own. "He has a much gentler soul than I do," he adds with a laugh.

Byrd, who took Spectrum's helm in 2002 and has been reshaping the company ever since, notes, "We're going through a rebranding right now. We're trying to encourage an audience that wouldn't normally go to a modern-dance performance — especially a younger crowd that may already know this music from hearing it in the clubs."

Brangien Davis: brangiendavis@yahoo.com