Middance Trumpets a Worthy Cause Student Performers Peace Together Eclectic Styles to Unravel Violence

Author: Laura Rockefeller

"We represent individuals of the world from all walks of life, all corners of the globe and all faiths of the heart. Yet in a world that is divided by hate and difference, we have come together to unite in our passion for dance. We represent the power of dance, the celebration of difference and the teaching of tolerance. We stand for peace." This was the statement on the cover of the program for Middance's fourth annual Fall Show, "Respect," that went up in McCullough Social Space on Saturday night.

The performance certainly reflected the different backgrounds of the dancers, with numbers ranging from hip-hop to classical ballet, united by the performers' clear love of their art. Although the caliber of the dancing varied, the enthusiasm of the performers never wavered - an enthusiasm that quickly infected the audience, aided by the energetic emcees. At times the audience was almost as entertaining to watch as the dancers, as students cheered for their friends or for dances choreographed to their favorite songs, waving the glow sticks that were thrown into the crowd after one electronic number.

A fast-paced, sexy piece, choreographed by Kristana Erikson '06, to "My Love is Like Whoa" got the show going with a bang, grabbing the attention of the audience, and particularly the male attendees. The dancers did a great job of moving in sync, lending the piece a slick and polished look and giving the audience the impression that the moves they were doing were all second nature - that they were just up there having fun, despite the hours of rehearsal perfecting the dance must have taken.

It was followed by a complete change of pace, a delightful ballet piece, choreographed by Carolyn Gersh '04, to the familiar "Dance of the Reed Flutes" from the second act of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker." Although one of the dancers seemed to be a little bit nervous and uncomfortable on point, which sometimes caused her to move her arms in the opposite direction as the other dancers, the piece was overall very enjoyable and an engaging contrast to the first dance.

These four ballet dancers later proved their versatility by doing an exciting jazz piece to Madonna's "Die Another Day," choreographed by Devon Parish '05, during which they all seemed more relaxed than they had in the first number. At the end of the song, they tried a neat experiment, repeating the choreography from the Tchaikovsky piece to the Madonna song, which worked surprisingly well. It was a fun way of taking the ballet moves out of the stereotypical classical setting and jazzing them up to the energy level of pop music.

Guest performers On Tap were another highlight of the first half of the show with their up-beat dance to Jennifer Lopez's "Let's Get Loud," choreographed by Meghan Beucher '06. Theirs was perhaps one of the most technically impressive dances as all members of the group were almost equally proficient, dancing well together as an ensemble of performers.

The second act had a similarly varied group of pieces, including an imaginative performance choreographed by Keisuke Hosoi '07 and Yuichiro Mitsutomi '07 to "XTC," where the theatre was entirely black and all the audience could see were the swirling blue and white glow sticks that the dancers held in their hands. They created really interesting pictures, moving more and more quickly as the music became more frantic.

The dance choreographed by Elizabeth Hammett '05 to "El Tango de Roxanne" from Baz Lurhman's "Moulin Rouge" was an exciting and different piece - the only segment in the show that involved dancing with partners. The three couples all moved very gracefully together, making the dance beautiful to watch. It would have been one of the most popular pieces even if Ewan McGregor's solo halfway through the song had not made the night of many girls in the audience.

"This is For My People," the final dance choreographed by Kristana Erikson '06 and Jen Whelan '06, brought the show full-circle with a dance similar to "My Love is Like Whoa" in its style, energy and entertainment value.

All of the pieces in the performance were enjoyable because of the great energy and skill of the dancers and were made even more fun by the enthusiasm and excitement coming from the audience.