The Art of Falling

Dancer Penny Sparrow struggles to regain balance after a mysterious accident leaves her injured, in Craft’s mixed debut. Penny has no memory of what caused her traumatic fall—or if it was a suicide attempt—but odds are it has something to do with her no longer being a member of the Philadelphia modern dance troupe where she was a rising star. The story shifts between recollections of her history as a performer and her love affair with the troupe’s founder and her present, in which she struggles to find her identity now that she is no longer a working dancer. Penny’s eating disorder and body image problems play a large part in her story and reduce her appeal—she angrily brushes off conversation about her own issues while attempting to control the nutritional habits of her devoted mother and friends. The characters and their dialogue are often maudlin, but Craft, a former dance teacher, choreographer, and critic, delivers an enjoyable portrait of the hidden world of dance and the mind of a dancer. (Jan.)