Jonas’ work, “Grip,” proved more successful (and after seeing his troupe perform in late July with mediocre-at-best- results, this performance was decidedly a notch up). Here, under a giant, milky white balloon reminiscent of Yuval Sharon’s staging of Meredith Monk’s opera, “Atlas,” a trio—the twins Alexa and Paulina Donnelly—and Jarrett Yeary, were up to dancerly snuff: Wearing Tessa Matthias’ white form-fitting costumes and kneepads, the performers moved stealthily to Live Footage’s innovative score (Topu Lyo, cello, and effects) and Mike Thies (drums and keyboards), both on stage. Like a Robert Wilson (may he rest in peace) scenario—but on speed—the dancers morphed into various formations to the, at times, church-like music. 

Spooning was prevalent, with yoga moves also on view, no matter that these contortions ended in relentless thuddings and thumpings, a hallmark of Jonas’ choreography that nevertheless worked here. Call it the Zen of body-thrashing, but the constant pummelling could not have been possible without the trust factor. And speaking of trust, did someone mention lifts, leaps? These were spectacular, with one of the Donnellys landing on Yeary’s solid shoulders time and again. 

Yes, Jonas, who had help from assistant choreographer Emma Rosenzweig-Bock, and hails from breakdancing, is fond of that motif, which was on full view here, with William Adashek’s light design adding to the otherworldly scenario. And with the score sometimes hinting at Zoltán Kodály’s five-tone sequence from Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, or even a passage from Henryk Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, the mystical essence was made human, or superhuman, as the case may be.

Pliant, rubbery and astonishingly committed, the dancers seemed to be on another plane(t), although their fleshly gestures—spooning, kissing—made them seem nearly approachable, the key word, ‘nearly.’ And as a triumvirate, they also seemed to embody the Buddhist maxim, “See no evil,” “hear no evil,” and, well, “dance no evil,” which was more than could be said for Agami’s number.

But one applauds the efforts of both groups, and perhaps when Ate9 returns, her group will have something more significant to say. As for JJTC, please pass the arnica!