Tesseract: A space odyssey

LONG BEFORE HE STARTED dancing, the choreographer Silas Riener preferred reading science fiction novels and dreaming of far- off realms.

“It’s part of a queer identity— the ‘ otherness’ of aliens or fantasy,” Riener says, noting his penchant for sci- fi. “It attracted me because of being in the closet, growing up with people who are different or ways that the world is different.”

A former member of Merce Cunningham Dance, Riener is one- third of the creative trio behind Tesseract, a two- part work based on otherworldly themes that will be performed at the MCA this weekend in conjunction with the exhibit “Merce Cunningham: Common Time.” The other two- thirds: Rashaun Mitchell ( also a former Cunningham dancer) and video artist Charles Atlas, who began working with the Cunningham company as a stage manager back in the mid- 70s. Together, the trio bring a decidedly alien approach to movement.

Listening to Riener describe it, Tesseract is as much space odyssey as it is dance. The title refers to the four- dimensional analog of a cube, which in this case is “moving from one world to another,” he says. The first half of the show features 3- D footage captured by Atlas using a mobile camera rig that moves in conjunction with the choreography, incorporating bits of animation. The second half is much more conventional from a dance perspective— a cast of six move in a proscenium setting— then Atlas will mix and project real- time live video onto the stage.

“We’re not trying to tell a story,” Riener says. “We’re just putting you inside this world where things happen and letting you think and feel whatever you want.”

TESSERACT Through Sat 3/ 25, 7: 30 PM, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago, 312- 280- 2660, mcachicago. org, $ 30, $ 10 students.