The heavy and somewhat enigmatic title of Bermuda Dance Company?s latest performance, Conflict Resolution piqued my interest. Not necessarily a good title and a rather odd choice for a showcase of dance, it is, however, catchy.

The assertion that Conflict Resolution was ?guaranteed to leave you thinking differently about not only your place in society but also about Bermuda?s place in the world? which I read when I went online at BoxOffice.bm (echoed in the Greetings From the Chairman in the programme) served to heighten my curiosity and raise my cynical eyebrow.

Now I love it when artists create work to provoke thought and I am always pleased to see Bermudian artists attempting to tackle the issues in our own society but I think such grandiose statements surrounding an artistic offering is dodgy because you immediately set expectations and risk the failure of your intended message.

As an audience member I prefer to take away the message or layers of message that I get from the work and, whilst I appreciate information about the inspiration and theme of a piece, I am immediately extra critical when I am told that I will feel a certain emotion or undergo a certain transformation. I am not alone in this I am sure.

BDC?s ?Conflict Resolution? on opening night, Friday, May 28, 2005 began with the company?s signature piece, ?Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?.

This performance began a bit cold but once the four women warmed up it resonated with power and emotion. Choreographed by Kevin Malone, Incidents is a beautiful piece, because of his obvious ability to devise movement that is the embodiment of feelings.

The dancers do not have to work hard at emoting. It is all in the movement. Simply using the limbs, he is able to convey, through postures and contractions, pain, elation, abandon, and suffering.

With the very striking slow motion walk sequence both the passage of time and distance are suggested with an exquisite visual.

Haunting and heartbreaking, though ultimately celebratory, the choreography is so successfully realised that the whole piece could be done in silhouette and still move and audience profoundly. This is not a suggestion, mind you. I love this one just as it is.

In contrast, despite the similar element of poetry, the second piece, Tower of Images, choreographed by Kiera Martin, does not quite work, in my opinion, in its current form.

It did begin well, with Jesse Jones, performing a fine live reading of a portion of Dulce Et Decorum Est by First World War poet, Wilfred Owen, before breaking into frenetic movement that simulated being torn apart by gunfire.

The stock war slides that were projected during the poetry performance detracted a bit and prevented the beginning being truly powerful.

An ambitious piece, utilising live spoken word, movement, dance, slides and the rather haunting prop of a bloodied sheet, Tower of Images does not quite hit the mark.

Isolated, the different elements may have been somewhat successful but combined they were an onslaught that was not particularly enjoyable.

There were some beautiful moments and images, especially the partnering and recurring lifts, with the supported dancer at a diagonal with the legs higher.

The bloodied cloth, at one point was used as a sort of funeral shroud to suspend a female dancer, only her shape visible to the audience.

This was dramatic and completely effective. The dancers performed well technically but they also had to act a bit in order to perform this dance and they were somewhat out of their element here I think.

The work lacked subtlety and although I know that war is not subtle the dance suffered because of its heavy-handedness.

I thought of the difference between Natural Born Killers and its barrage of subtle imagery and relentless soundtrack to manipulate our emotions and Titanic, where subtlety was lacking and visuals, dialogue and music elicited conditioned emotional responses, Pavlov?s dogs-like, from the audience. The former I think, despite the success of the latter is a much better piece of art.

I am comparing movies here because there was a cinematic element to Tower I thought, especially with the swelling music which was also just a bit too much.

I am quite a fan of Kiera Martin?s work but this one needs to be reworked slightly I think. Of course this is only my opinion. The audience seemed to love it.

Moon Over Neptune followed the 15 minute intermission. A colourful upbeat piece, it plays to the strengths of Bermuda Dance Company, which I believe is more than competent technique and impressive tightness when dancing in a group - excellent spacing and uniform execution.

With alternating staccato and fluid movement and an effortless athleticism, this piece began with a series of solos across the stage before evolving into an ensemble performance.

It showcased the skill and flexibility of the dancers and was visually captivating because of the colourful costumes, aethereal lighting and use of the stage.

Repeated movements of dancers reclining, standing and kneeling gave Moon Over Neptune cohesiveness and made it quite riveting to watch.

Jesse Jones? solo in the middle of the dance, created by Kim Gibson, was particularly memorable in this uplifting meditation.

The final performance of the evening was Fula, which explored the evolution of this West African social dance into modern break-dancing.

Choreographed by Suzie Harvey, Fula also employed an inspired voice over by Rotimi Martins which was both entertaining and informative.

It began with shirtless men with white pants sombrely and ritualistically entering the stage in single file before launching into some rather acrobatic dancing of the capoeria style to the soothing and interesting a cappella music of Zap Mama.

As the piece ensued they were joined by the women, including Suzie.

The finale was a gravity defying, exuberant and funky demonstration of break-dance to James Brown. It is a great collaboration between Suzie Harvey, BDC, Rotimi Martins and Axe Capoeria.

So at the end of the evening I was not transformed. I had not really contemplated my place in Bermuda and the world at large but I will certainly look for some of Wilfred Owen?s exceptional and visceral poetry and the music of Zap Momma.

Even with the baffling Tower of Images, Conflict Resolution was a success and proof that Bermuda Dance Company is as good as a number of companies that perform here in the Bermuda Festival and better than a few as well, and that is world class.