photo by Lois Greenfield In “The Sphere,” choreographer and performer Maureen Fleming, in a lingering style, achieved moves that were unfathomable.

An Effortless Stretch into Infinity
In evening curated by Nicky Paraiso,
Maureen Fleming’s astonishing grace

by GABRIELA PAWELEC and BRIAN McCORMICK

In “The Sphere,” the first work on a program at La MaMa on July 8, Maureen Fleming, the choreographer and performer, was standing far from the front of the stage, naked, on top of a tall, wide, black plinth. Ghostly illumination made her seem to float and eerie music by Philip Glass matched the extraterrestrial facade. She painfully and intricately formed shapes with her body that evolved with a pleasant lethargy. She formed an “O” and then bent back her body with a lingering and extent that were unfathomable. She curled up in a ball like a fetus. Every shape she formed was breathtaking, exhausting. The evening was part of a series of programs titled “It’s a Dance Thing, TWO” curated by Nicky Paraiso.