Choreographed for five men and four women, Beautiful Mistake is a wondrous tangling and untangling of limbs, a complex exchange of twisting, unpredictable lifts. At times the body parts seem to detach themselves. Whose hand is that? Where is his foot? The dancers sweat profusely, their chests rapidly rising and falling with every breath. Does any other art form encompass such astonishing athleticism, such precise yet graceful movements, such collective intelligence and focus? Each dancer, including those watching from the sidelines, concentrates fully on Soto’s every word and gesture. For this piece he has selected emotional, energetic electronic music
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by Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds combined with that of Canadian Charles Wilson. The brainstorm for Beautiful Mistake came while choreographing another piece. “Sometimes in the studio I discover beautiful things by mistake,” he says, going on to speak of his dances as a form of self-analysis, internal issues working themselves out in movement. “I work cinematically,” he continues, explaining that he envisions the stage design, costumes, and lighting before entering the studio. Even at the costume fitting, the clarity of his vision is evident as he decides the precise width of the women’s high collars and the exact drape of their black chiffon blousons.
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