Loss is a common experience, but it plays out differently for everyone. Off-Leash Area's "Dancing on the Belly of the Beast," which premiered Friday night at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis, offers a poignant meditation on the biggest emotional loss of all life, specifically the rite of passage accompanying the death of a parent.

Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Ilse in collaboration with a cast of 19 dancers, the work draws upon her own experience of "adult orphanhood." Faced with a complicated array of emotions, she explored the concept in workshops and found kindred spirits in her fellow artists.

Ilse approaches her topic by quietly affirming what we all learn about grief: The path to healing is cyclical, unpredictable, long and often difficult to follow. Thus, circles are central to "Dancing on the Belly of the Beast" the performers' journey onstage is comprised primarily of loops, slowly or quickly, leading to encounters defined by tender touch, a warm embrace, a brief meeting of the eyes.

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Off-Leash Area dancers offer poignant meditation on grief - Minneapolis Star Tribune