Sarasota Contemporary Dance comes full circle in 'Evolving/Revolving'

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott is standing in the back of the New College of Florida dance studio, watching the group of dancers that compose the core of Sarasota Contemporary Dance as they prepare for the closing performance of the company’s 10th season.

She watches intently, scribbling occasionally in her notebook,  jotting down feedback. Her notes are mostly small things.

“Come in a little slower here. Make sure you’re really looking back for this part. Turn your chair a little earlier.”

As director and founder of the contemporary dance company, she’s worked with the dancers long enough that she trusts them to nail the physical dance moves. It’s the subtleties she’s focused on.

“There’s a constant conversation going on in these pieces,” she says. “And it’s the small things that really convey that. You have to be emotionally available as much as you are physically.”

The dancers are currently working on a piece called “Splint Departure,” which holds personal significance for Wilmott. Not only is it the first piece she choreographed for the company — but it’s also inspired by a family tragedy, adding emotional weight to the conversations being conveyed through movement.

It’s one of four works that will compose “Evolving/Revolving,” the final performance of the company’s 10th season, which will include re-stagings of past favorite works by former choreographers, including Gerri Houlihan’s “Every Little Movement,” “Run,” by Sarah Caldabaugh and Crystal Edwards and Rolando Cabrera’s “Three Accents.”

The show’s title is especially fitting for the occasion. For Wilmott, it represents her dedication to continue growing the company — while maintaining a clear vision of its roots.

Revisiting past works affords the dancers, as well as the choreographers, the chance to see the dances in a new light. Performing them with new dancers, often years after they were first written and debuted, puts things in a different context, and it allows the works —and performers — to evolve. Mary Allison, who has been dancing with the company for five years, says she’s still being challenged.

“This might be the hardest piece I’ve had to prepare for,” she says. “It’s so physically demanding.”

“That’s good,” says Wilmott, with a laugh. “I want to keep pushing you. This show is very diverse and accessible to newcomers. I want this company to keep growing and be exciting for our community and our dancers. We’re evolving and revolving.”