Just as it did last year, the current New York International Fringe Festival offers more theater than dance, so it's fortunate that a few of the choreographers taking part are more than reliable: They're actually gifted.  Just as they challenge convention through their use of props, they also play with the relationship between dance and music through compelling, original movement.  The following three Fringe choreographers, in particular, distinguish themselves from the others participating in the festival.

Open 24 Hours Dance Company

Pam Tanowitz, based in New York, is one of the downtown dance scene's most promising choreographers.  For the festival, the Sarah Lawrence graduate will present five dances, two of which premiered at Dance Theater Workshop's Splitstream series last November.  Tanowitz has re-created both Blind Hill, a solo for herself, and Victory Garden, a stunning group work, for this Fringe occasion.

In Blind Hill, Tanowitz wears a feathered orange ball gown and brilliantly demonstrates the quirky vocabulary she's developed since launching her company in 1992.  "It's a character study with contrasts of energy and shape," she explains.  "I used a lot of crooked and twisted body movements." Victory Garden-- the most abstract of her works--is a gorgeous look at meetings (however fleeting) and solitude.  For both pieces, Tanowitz collaborates with composer Dan Siegler, who is also her fiance.

"A lot of times, he knows what I want before I even say anything," Tanowitz explains.  "The music is really tailored to the dance--there's none of that 'This is the music, and I won't change it,' He knows how to support the dance, how to support the art, so together, they make a full piece."