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"It is not then astonishing that the audience took leave of the dancers, their choreographer, the musicians and the singer with a standing ovation. They had all fallen under the spell of that which is the simplest, ascetic and built exclusively on the human body "enslaved" by the art of dance."
-Izabela Skorzynska, Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland, 2000
"The bodies of the five performers lucidly carved in space, and emphasis placed on evolving architectural patterns... A complex lighting plan by Pat Dignan contributes to both these aspects of the work. Decorative hand gestures, and an occasional step suggest borrowings from the rich storehouse of Indian tradition, yet these references are smoothly and organically absorbed into the contemporary idiom in a manner that attests not only to Hollander's detailed observation of East Asian styles, but also to real understanding and assimilation. A sense of awe permeates this work, implying homage to a sacred presence. At the same time, the dancers make the ritual of performance seem intimately familiar. While personal relationships or real stories may have inspired Hollander's gentle duets, which are framed by choreography that makes the group seem larger-than-life, the absence of a literal narrative suggests an abstracted mythology."
-Robert Johnson, Tanssi Magazine, Finland - 1998
"'Foreigners' dancing Indian is something that can make any even slightly informed and intelligent watcher nervous. Hollander's Indian links come out loud and very clear in Layapriya. He has taken the distillate of the Indian and used it in a way that is very American, if not global. The hand gestures and rhythms are essentially Indian, but so stylized and contemporized that they go far beyond the banal usage of "mudras" and "tala" patterns into something that transcends cultural identity and erases any vestige of stereotyping."
-Ramya Sarma, The Indian Express, New Delhi April 21, 2001
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