It’s been pretty warm so far this fall, thankfully. But Inbal Pinto Dance Company’s Shaker, at the Joyce, might put you in the mood for a cold snap with a winter wonderland of a set, based on the concept of a snowglobe. A thick layer of fake snow blankets the stage, and a horizontal baffle hangs in front of the cyc, cropping the proscenium to wide-screen format and compressing the stage action.

The snow is an excellent excuse for the dancers to slide wildly across the stage, or drag a limb through it causing a plow-like wave. It muffles their footfalls, echoes the arcs of their tossed hair, offers a cushion on which to body flop. The performers split into small groups or pairs. Two men partner the dog/mime, gliding her above their heads. Dancers disappear and reappear through the doghouses, or sit atop them like gargoyles. A man manipulates two women by their ponytails – awkward marionettes to his puppeteer.
The songlist (recorded) is eclectic, but often oddly cliche. Did they purposely choose music frequently used in dance (by composers such as Purcell, Part, Chopin and Reich) as a sardonic statement, or simply as straight accompaniment? Or just to balance the more exotic Japanese and Swedish selections? Uri Morag designed the lighting, which ranged from Arctic to summery, and contributes strongly to the theatrical vision. It ends with a giant version of the striped suit sauntering across stage, past the ribbon dancer, another haunting, if mysterious, vision.
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