Riddim jumps hard to another beat Beloved troupe pumps high-energy hip with a little less hop

Author: Michael Jou

Saturday, May 8, marked the end of yet another year for the Riddim World Dance Troupe, led by Charzetta Nixon '06, as the student organization put on its spring show entitled "Riddim Nation." Centered around dances involving mostly hip-hop elements, the show's theme reminded spectators of elements of their childhoods by including references to Michael Jackson and "Sesame Street." Tickets were distributed for a suggested donation of $3, which contributed to the Angel Awards Fund.

In all, the two shows on Saturday night went through a program including 11 pieces, with an intermission after the first five numbers. The first half of the program was not particularly strong, however, the second portion of the night made up for it and included choreography that left one's mind in ardent imagination.

The opening piece, choreographed by Hillary Brooks '06.5, launched the festive atmosphere of the night with a medley of upbeat music and choreography to match. However, later on came a gumboot piece that did not seem extremely polished and failed to take full advantage of the rhythmic possibilities available to the dancers. It was an interesting proposition, but did not include a climax to finalize the upbeat feeling of the piece.

A salsa piece was thrown into the program, though it seemed quite short. The last piece before the intermission, choreographed by graduating senior Sully Diaz, had a good beat and included songs by Mariah Carey.

After the intermission, audience members watched another acoustic piece that included dancers using drumsticks and aluminum foil strapped to their legs to create a sequence of rhythmic beats. Again, though the idea was very creative, they did not explore the full range of rhythm. To freshen things up, Frankie Powell '06 brought in a piece entitled "Backstreet's Back," which could be deemed the requisite boy-band dance. A modern piece was added afterwards which combined elements of jazz and modern dance, and offered an aesthetic difference from the previous pieces.

The last three pieces were probably the strongest, including a Jackson medley jointly choreographed by Nichole Nawfel '06 and Ena Yasuhara '06. The first half of the Jackson medley was very clean and played well with the contrast of sharp beats from Michael Jackson's song, "Billie Jean," and the dancers' white costumes. Dancers even wore the single glove as the trademark Jackson characteristic.

The finale of the show included most of the troupe and greatly displayed the group's ability to blend the individual styles of dancers to form a coherent artistic force. Choreographed by Muchadei Zvoma '07, this last piece definitely ended the night well.

The strongest parts of the show included the creative choreography and the innovative use of spatial patterns. Riddim dances usually take advantage of the McCullough stage to create performances where dancers re-arrange spatial configurations to liven up the space. Of course, the ever-present energy of Riddim was not lacking.

Overall, it seems that Riddim does not live up the standard of what it was in the past. Four years ago, Riddim was comprised of dancers that monopolized the stage and projected strong presences, but last weekend, the unity of the group seems to have de-stabilized. Moreover, several pieces during the night did not include a tight enough formation, leaving audience members wondering if the off-beat movements of certain dancers were choreographic choices or something else. Breaks between the pieces also seemed abnormally long.

The Riddim World Dance Troupe still remains the best dance group on campus, but now has a long way to go from what they were four years ago. Though the group still continues to innovate and seek fresh dancers, new styles should be sought out and highlighted in order to keep the group from stagnating into a particularly style of street dance.

If anything, the group should remember that they symbolize a troupe welcoming world dance styles and should branch out among other types of dance.