More ::: Classical 96.3 FM ::: Dance review for Intensified III -- by Paula Citron

Katarina Rajkovic, a member of the jazz dance group The HoneyKats, believes in the value of entertainment. The show she is producing also contains turns by singers and musicians, a comedy team, and a clown. In short, the production "Intensified: The HoneyKats Gala III" is really a variety show, which may or may not be a good thing.

As well as her own eleven HoneyKats, the show also features guest artists, Jessica HOrn from The Helix Dance Project, the breakdance trio The Supernaturalz, a quartet from Dance Like Nobody is Watching Productions and Combustion! The Young Company. With the addition of the music and comedy acts, the cast reaches about forty -- all of them young and good looking. In other works, it is no hardship watching these performers.

The problem is with jazz dance itself, the vocabulary is very hard to bend into tools of communications, and works best when it is overtly sexy and provocative. There are some successes that blast passed this barrier - for example, Linda Garneau's clever text and choreography for "Man's World" with its subtle feminism slyly interpreted by Horn, and Erin Crisci's own solo "Haunted", a searing work about love gone wrong.

Nonetheless, talented dancers are always worth watching despite choreographic shortcomings and standouts, besides Horn and Crisci, include Brittney Snedden and Sharon D'Ornellas. One hopes with the HoneyKats next go-around, there will be more substance in the pieces themselves.

"The HoneyKats Gala" continues at Betty Oliphant Theatre until Saturday.

I'm Paula Citron, arts reviewer for Clasical 96.3 FM.