“Message in a Bottle” is dance at its best with a serious story to tell

Kate Prince, artistic director of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, has created a new two-act work, Message in a bottle, set to music by Sting and making an appearance at New York City Center. It’s a fascinating and moving piece about an unlikely subject: refugees. The troupe offers the best dancing currently in New York, and Message in a bottle isn’t just a must-see show, it’s a must-see show.

The story takes place in an unnamed country. A group of peaceful villagers go about their daily lives in an atmosphere of harmony. We mainly follow a group of five people – a family unit, a mother, a father, two sons and a daughter, leaders of the community – in their lives. A sound of distant thunder interrupts the eldest son’s wedding celebration; As the sound repeats, as we get closer, we realize it is artillery fire. Soon, death rains on the village and the inhabitants gather their belongings and begin a long walk to find refuge. War – and we never find out what kind it is or why it occurs – ends up separating parents from children, husbands from wives, and villagers from each other.

The rituals and customs of an entire people, their games and mischief, their triumphs and tragedies, come to life. The company’s dance moves appear to be spontaneous creations. Yet you know that such ease of movement, such heartbreaking beauty, only comes from the hours of meticulous rehearsal and improvisation that a work like this requires.

The performers are not listed in the poster by the characters they play. Yet, for their talent, they deserve individual mention: Oliver Andrews; Lindon Barr; Deavion Brown; David Cottle; Harrison Dowzell; Nestor Garcia González; Natasha Gooden; Lizzie Gough; Megan Ingram; Alani Johnson-Goffe; Charlotte Lee; Daniella May; Dylan Mayor; Serena McCall; Lucas McFarlane; Nethra Menon; Robbie Ordona; Lara Renaud; Hannah Sandilands; Jessey Stol; Steven Thompson; Gavin Vincent; and Malachi Welch.

Sting’s music sets the emotional tone for the dance story. Notable numbers include “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Fields of Gold” for the wedding; “King of Pain” and “Invisible Sun” as the war shatters the lives of the villagers; “Every Breath You Take” as the siblings try to maintain contact in a camp fenced with barbed wire; and “Message in a Bottle” as the villagers are taken to other camps. Songs like “Brand New Day,” “Walking on the Moon,” “Englishman in New York,” “Roxanne” and “They Dance Alone” take on new meanings without contradicting your memories.

The stunning and evocative set was designed by Ben Stones, with video design by Andrzej Goulding, lighting by Natasha Chivers, sound by David McEwan and ingenious costumes by Anna Fleischle. Together, the design team created a place where words are not necessary to bring the story to life through the brilliance of the set and the direction and choreography of Kate Prince.

Message in a bottle is a work of unprecedented quality, which is – although I hesitate to use the cliché – a modern classic. He speaks of our times like a legend from the past. This is history repeating itself because it has not been learned. It’s an emotional journey. This is the art of dance in its most exhilarating form. I cannot urge you more strongly to see Message in a bottle before the end of its brief run.

Message in a bottle is presented by ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company at New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street, through May 12, 2024. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit nycitycenter.org or call 212- 581-1212.