PERFORMING ARTS

KDNY

In "Charges From Domremy," the New York-based dance troupe KDNY tackles the tale of Joan of Arc, an epic story that could have easily lent itself to high drama and rich character development. Unfortunately, KDNY came up short on Saturday at Dance Place in a program that, despite some strong dancers and attractive movement, was ultimately static and wearisome.

Choreographer Kathleen Dyer created some especially effective movement for Joan's enemies. Bent forward at the waist and balancing on their toes, the dancers forcefully thrust an elbow upward, creating a beautifully sculptural pose with a decidedly aggressive movement. They did not just step on the floor but urgently pounded against it, and their splayed, curled fingers made them appear predatory and antagonistic.

But Dyer is not an effective storyteller. The evening-length work was repetitive; the image of Joan's character thrashing in pain or collapsing into the arms of her supporters became stale. Some of the battle scenes were too lengthy, continuing long after their impact was made. Moreover, a clear narrative arc never took shape. The piece chugged along at the same pace and in the same dynamic range, with no obvious climax and few quiet moments to balance the more intense ones.

In the role of Joan of Arc, Heather Kemp was one-dimensional. She constantly portrayed the character in a state of suffering or angst and failed to capture Joan's bravery, leadership or heroism. It even appeared that there were other dancers in the ensemble whose technique bested Kemp's and might have given a more sophisticated performance.

-- Sarah Halzack

The Silver Beats

There's something joyfully goofy about watching four Japanese guys mimic the Beatles, and Eric Mabuchi of the Silver Beats didn't hesitate to play up this part of their appeal at the 9:30 club Friday night.

"We're not that good at speaking English," the half-American Mabuchi (aka "John") said in perfect English early in the sold-out show. "So we'll just have to keep singing!"

Many bows and "arigatos" followed, as well as what compelled the audience to twist-and-shout even after its I-gotta-see-this curiosity was satisfied: masterly re-creations of the choicest cuts from the Beatles songbook. Although Mabuchi, the youngest of the group, is the only member who pulls off a physical resemblance to his Liverpudlian counterpart (in both looks and mannerisms), close your eyes and you'll find that Tadaaki Naganuma ("Paul"), Hajime Kubo ("George") and Yukinobu Kabe ("Ringo") are gifted musical impersonators -- particularly Kubo, who nimbly negotiated the resplendent solos in tunes such as "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," the latter partially performed behind his head.

The Silver Beats got their first taste of the United States while touring last year with the Killers, who'd "discovered" them at an all-Beatles club in Tokyo. This time around, their awed, ear-to-ear grins were intact, along with their clever use of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" snippets to frame their set. But they've added an encore -- and unwisely allowed their Joe Perry-looking stagehand to sing a couple of their final songs. "That's right, not just a roadie!" said the dude before belting out "Mr. Moonlight" and "Don't Let Me Down." It felt like a self-indulgent intrusion, and further testament that the Beats' heretofore anonymous but infectiously entertaining gents were the ones worth paying to see.