by MARITES CARINO

In her how-to book The Art of Making Dances (published posthumously in 1959), American modern choreographer Doris Humphrey dishes out no-nonsense advice for choreographers in the making. Take this tip: “All dances are too long.” A tad extreme, but often true. When no longer captivated by what’s on stage, the mind drifts involuntarily and temptation inevitably sets in to peek at your timepiece. Here’s my compendium of works that didn’t trigger the wrist twitch.

For me, 2005 was all about memorable choreographies from locals—like Zab Maboungou. Last winter, clocking in at a succinct 50 minutes, Lwáza, her explosive work for three dancers, left me yearning for more at the fade to black. A definite highlight was dancer Karla Etienne’s intense, fiery performance that dialogued with percussive rhythms of the on-stage musicians.