Verb Ballets’ Dreamweaver takes on surrealism and other flights of fancy at the Cleveland Play House tonight. The program features three recent pieces, including the world premiere of “Ocean Depths.” The new half-hour dance is based on a Greek myth about two lovers who fall in love at the bottom of the sea. “It’s almost like Raiders of the Lost Ark — with the princess falling overboard, and the prince jumping in the water to save her,” says Margaret Carlson, the troupe’s executive director. “While everybody is busy drowning, it allows us to dispense with reality. Anything becomes possible.”

Verb’s artistic director, Hernando Cortez, choreographed the program, which is part of the Play House’s FusionFest celebration. In addition to “Ocean Depths,” the group will perform “Unquiet Minds” (which includes 10 dancers doing their own things) and “Like Being Awake Sleeping and Hearing Seeing.” “It’s like you’ve just had the wackiest out-there dream you ever could possibly have,” says Carlson about the latter piece. “It has a number of different characters that don’t interact with each other — but with the dreamer’s brain.” Dreamweaver marks the first time in Verb’s five seasons that Cortez’s obsession with bizarre storylines takes center stage. “He has a really bad habit of staying up all night and creating dances,” says Carlson. “The entire evening is an exploration of surrealism in art through movement.”
Sat., May 12, 8 p.m.

This article appears in May 9-15, 2007.