Spectators were treated to an entertaining blend of diversity, innovation, and beauty on the opening night of this year’s Fall Dance Concert, “Mosaics from the Underground.” Directed by Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Catherine Cabeen, the performance presented the collaborative choreography of 11 individual dancers that explored a range of personal interests and social issues through body movement. An eclectic selection of contemporary, classical and popular music styles along with a lighting design that enhanced the dancer’s body lines and presence accompanied the performance, appealing to the visual and auditory senses, making for an outstanding demonstration of the choreographers’ skill and dedication to the art.
The performance kicked off with a piece entitled “Moon Country”, choreographed by Doug LeCours ’15, which drew upon modernistic literature as a source for inspiration. Upbeat, electronic music contrasted with subtle lighting and simple costume design, adding emphasis to the uncalculated yet elegant movements of the dancers.
Next followed Otto Pierce’s ’13.5 “Brutal Perfection and Other Plays On…” which brought the fashion runway onto the stage. With an eerie musical combination of dubstep and sounds by composer Helmut Lachenmann mixed by the choreographer himself, the dancers began by emulating a runway walk, ever so often stopping to adjust the other dancer’s body position.
“Burst,” choreographed by Annie Powers ’15, changed the pace of the show by including a classical number by Gustav Mahler which added to the work’s seamless synergy and the graceful movement of the two dancers.
Senior Lecturer in Dance Penny Campbell choreographed one of the evening’s highlights: the Newcomers’ Piece entitled “The Secrets Life of Starbursts,” performed by four newcomers to the dance company. While I believe that nervousness made their initial moves a bit uncertain, as the dance progressed, the girls gained confidence, ending on a spectacular note.
“This is What I Look Like From the Front,” choreographed by Addie Cleveland ’13.5 in collaboration with the dancers, introduced the usage of props. While standing upon a pedestal, Cleveland enacted the role of a “puppet master,” dictating movements and animating the dancers.
In Amy Donahue’s ’13.5 “Deleted Scenes,” blinking lights and elegant costume design, accompanied by frightening sounds from Psycho, A Suite for Strings, made for a feeling reminiscent of a horror film. Numerous scenes, shown in quick succession, were performed in a manner similar to the clips of a movie.
“Oppenheim Reflex” was choreographed and performed by Hannah Pierce ’13. It was the only solo performance of the night, and was accompanied by a song that was written, recorded and performed by Richard Chen ’13. The music served as a powerful backdrop for the emotionally charged performance.
Next, the pace picked up again with a selection entitled “fem” choreographed by Davis Anderson ’13. Through the upbeat and courageous sounds of Masters at Work, the dancers began by expressing femininity through a series of poses. As the dance progressed, however, two of the dancers fitted one of the dancers into a corset, alluding to the perceived expectations of how a woman should be.
In Sarae Snyder’s ’15 “Through Vertical,” a dance that drew its initial inspiration from surrealism, the audience’s attention was first drawn to the monotonous movement of two dancers, marching in opposite directions as if to create a rectangle. As the pace of the music increased, the dancers broke away from their uniform movement, their movements becoming more frantic but creating an unexpectedly beautiful harmony between both dancers.
Jessica Lee’s ’13 “Maps of Home” conveyed the sounds and emotions of nature through a compilation of nature sounds that Lee arranged herself. The soft lighting and simple costume design only served to enhance the scenery, adding to the performance as the trio of dancers reflected the feeling of being surrounded by nature.
While one may expect the performance would die down towards the end, the dancers did not disappoint with a highly charged number entitled “GTG: Thanks for Listening,” choreographed by Cameron McKinney ’14. Through the usage of a projector, McKinney captivated the visual and auditory senses, ending the entire performance on a high note.
To me, Friday night’s performance confirmed the enigmatic quality of modern dance. It was hard to keep my eyes off of each dancer, and while I sought to find meaning in each movement, title, song selection or lighting effect, I often found myself at a loss for words. Nevertheless, one thing was sure: even though each performance’s theme may not be blatantly obvious, by the end of the performance, each and every one of them had gotten their point across.
As one would expect, by impressing the audience with their outstanding performance, the Department of Dance received a rightfully earned standing ovation.
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