2008 Woodie Awards
Diverse pieces in highly anticipated Spring Dance Concert don't dissapoint
Nicole Perry
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Defining Moment, created by student Jena Rennick. This piece first draws the viewer in with quick, isolated motions by the dancers. A head flicks, a leg extends, and audiences' eyes flutter over the stage attempting to take it all in at once. The dancing is modern and uses such techniques as video imaging on a screen above the stage to further the performance. As a dancer's picture emerges larger than life, the dancer moves to take her spot in a growing tangle of body parts that is being constructed center stage. Each dancer is spotlighted and then dissolves back into the group. The hair and costumes compliment the movements--tight and precise--no loose tendrils to destroy the eye contact the dancers create with the audience. This piece is intense, but thoroughly enjoyable, and starts the concert out on the right foot.
Intersect and Overlap, created by Professor Sharon Oberst. The term that comes to mind when viewing this piece is "techno ballet." The music is very beat-conscious, simple and easy to move with. The four dancers are paired, often either working with each other to accomplish their moves, or moving in sync across the stage. The costumes also play on this idea; they are the same costume, but each is a different color. The dancers likewise do similar or identical moves, but individually. This dance is done en pointe, which is amazing to watch, and the dancers pull off this physical accomplishment flawlessly and beautifully.
A River with No Banks, created by guest artist Tim Cowart. This piece is extremely interesting. It opens with two dancers, male and female, laying face down on the stage. Slowly they begin to revolve. One is amazed how they can continue to turn and turn, until they leave the floor and audiences can see they are on small turning disks which are sustaining their momentum. They continue to utilize the disks throughout the dance, partnering and coupling, but continuing to spin in all their movements. This piece is slow, dragged on perhaps by the slow Greek-sounding ballad that is the soundtrack.
Odd One Out, created by student Brynn Sylvester. This piece portrays anger. The dancers dress in black with sharp, contrasting red, and they scowl as they writhe and thrash about the floor. The music is eerie, graveyard-esque, and compliments the flailing limbs and somber faces perfectly. One begins to fear for the other performers as the principle dancer stalks around the stage kicking and shoving them, enraged and violent. The dance is set to red lights that flair in time to the moves, and adds a great element to the performance. This dance is dramatic and scary and not something one would expect to see alongside peaceful ballets, but it works and is a great contrast to the rest of the program.
Finding Joy, created by professor Deborah Jones Peterson. This piece is extremely whimsical. The dancers flip about the stage smirking and playing, their movements fluid and cheerful. Dressed in iridescent pant outfits, the dancers almost look like merry little preschoolers romping in the backyard. Adding to the childhood images, a gigantic ball periodically rolls across the stage, and the dancers, giggling and frolicking, include it in their play. This piece compels one to smile, to roll around in a field of daisies, and to most importantly not forget those wonderful years of youth.
Sleep Study, created by guest artist David Parsons. This is the most unique and comical piece in the show. It opens with seven dancers sprawled across the stage in what appears to be pajamas. This piece plays on the idea of the dance we all perform while we get our beauty sleep. Full of hypnotic jerks (in perfect synchronicity), sleepwalking and the dozens of positions we try in an attempt to get comfortable. Set to a cheery Winnie the Pooh type song, and performed by dancers who ham it up to perfection, this dance is absolutely hilarious.
It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing, created by student Jessie Lydon. The first thing that comes to mind with this piece is that it looks like it shimmied right off of a Broadway stage. The costumes look like they were made in the theatre department (and complement the piece very well), the smiles are big and the acting is definitely there. This piece gets by on personality, each of the dancers exudes charm, the music is upbeat and lively and the performers are obviously enjoying themselves. Although sort of out of place amid the other more dance-y pieces, this number will no doubt have viewers tapping their feet.
Bound to Release, created by student Leslie Southworth. The premise for this number is really interesting: Each of the four principle dancers has a portion of their body bound so that it is hindered, yet their movements are choreographed, in such a way as to make the bondage unnoticeable. Dressed in black with only the band as a streak of color, it is obvious this is what the viewer should concentrate on. Upstaging the bound dancers in front, although they remain in the back of the stage throughout the piece, are three dancers clad head to toe in what appears to be a spandex sheet. These dancers are amazing, they help build partnering moves with the bound dancers, but they also do their own movement, and are fascinating to watch--like a huge colorful block of motion. This piece is extremely well-executed, and the idea of it is fascinating.
Photoperiodism, created by student Jenna Logerwell. The immediate image this piece creates is leaves dancing in the autumn wind. This idea is perpetuated by the leaf-inspired costumes, done in the reds, golds and oranges of fall, and the backdrop of leaves lazily drifting to earth. This dance is well-performed, each ballerina clearly an accomplished student of the art. They twirl and leap, partnering, soloing, dancing as a cluster, just as real leaves do when they dance in the wind. The pace is languid, but it fits the theme and is not tedious. This dance is obviously complex, but the ballerinas execute with seeming simplicity; it is simply a joy to watch such skilled athletic dancers perform.
Flappin' and Tappin', created by Professor Sharon Oberst. Tap enthusiasts will not be disappointed in the Spring Dance Concert. This piece simply looks fun. It is clear the tappers are enjoying themselves, and they make the audience want to join in. They work both as a group and in solo sections. Each time a dancer breaks from the group to do a little showing off, the rest of the dancers holler their approval. And they also do well as an assembly, too--their busy feet never off beat from their neighbors'. This piece is really high spirited, an informal and cheery little tap dance in the midst of more serious numbers.
Blind Eyes Feel Fate's Path, created by students Malia Jerkins and Travis Gray. This duo piece invokes the idea of a rocky relationship. It is clear the two dancers care for each other, and yet they seem afraid to touch, to cement that relationship. The background music is the rocky sound of waves breaking and fits the choreography beautifully. The dancers partner well together--they are a similar size, and their bodies make them a likely pair. They are also very expressive dancers, their faces just as much as their bodies help the viewer understand what they are attempting to convey. This piece is dramatic, evoking an almost theatrical importance to the dancers and what they feel, not simply how they move. Well-created and well-executed.
Lean Back, created by student Emily Gilbertson. The piece is easily the most entertaining in the show--a fabulous mix of hip hop and ballet that is executed perfectly and very creatively constructed. Each of the dancers looks like a mix of the two genres, a little bit ballerina and a little bit hip hop princess. The entire piece follows this dichotomy, using music that has both slow and fast portions to accent each type of dancing, as well as mixing the two. The dancers in this piece clearly are having a good time, and their skill shines through as well. They make their motions look effortless and fun, but they perform with a precision that screams years of practice. This piece comes to an end much too quickly; it could have easily been twice as long and would never have become repetitive or boring. It is a perfect ending to the concert, as it is doubtful anyone would want to follow that act.
The Spring Dance Concert is not something one can simply hear about, and this article is meant only to pique curiosity and whet appetite. All these dancers deserve accolades for their hard work and ingenious presentation. So after viewing the concert and realizing that girl in class was the one stealing the show, be sure and tell her how well she did. And if you're not planning to go to the concert, perhaps this will change your mind. Don't be the only one who didn't see it!