Western Oregon Journal

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Smooth movement, modern dancing and athleticism all blend together to define the dance style of the Rainbow Dance Theatre. The company is made up of six dancers in addition to directors Darryl Thomas and his wife, Valerie Bergman. The theatre celebrates diversity in dance performances combining West African dance, hip-hop, Haitian dance, martial arts and American modern dance. Their motto: "One Village, Many Tribes."

"Although we have many differences-ethnic, religious, political, social-we are all still one big global village. That is why we blend dances from around the world into one dance form. It is a way of illustrating this ideal," states Darryl Thomas, who is also a dance professor at Western.

The troupe was founded in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1991, and now tours the world performing in Asia, Europe, the United States and Mexico. In June 2005, they traveled to Nagoya, Japan to represent Oregon at the 2005 World Expo. Some other international festivals they have performed in include the fifth and ninth Concurso Continental de Danza Contemporanea in Mexico City, and the second International Dance Festival in Taegu and Pusan, South Korea.

RDT is also responsible for reaching out to at-risk teens and their families in the Monmouth, Independence and other Oregon communities, by bringing hip-hop and African dance classes and performances to the communities. They have received numerous grants from many big-name companies, including the Oregon Arts Commission, the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Fred Meyer Foundation, MJI Broadcasting and many more.

The dancers involved also add their own flavor to the company. A former hurdler, Sam Hobbs, is a recent addition, and Michael Coleman, now in his sixth year with the troupe, is the resident break dancer.

The performance given by the Rainbow Dance Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Elsinore Theatre was flawless and breathtaking. There were six songs or acts involved in the evening's performance, and different dancers performed different styles of dancing in each set.

Bergman and Thomas performed in four of the dances, and Coleman, Corale Lamont, Ben Cavaletto, Brynn Sylvester, Latoya Lovely and Hobbs filled out the rest of the evening's entertainment. The dances ranged from "Arachnid," a 15-minute piece, which featured a giant spider web extending to all corners of the theatre, to "Street Suite," where attitudes and excellent hip-hop dancing kept the crowd in constant applause. The level of practice and professionalism was easy to see.

Another style of dancing was shown in "YogaBoyz," performed by Thomas, Cavaletto and Coleman. The positions the dancers achieved were flowing and acrobatic. Every action performed by the men was sprung from a previous position. They seemed to almost be one person as they moved in unison around the stage.

"Mixed Bag" was another crowd pleaser, with bright lights and interesting set design. Black, plastic garbage bags hung from the ceilings, and danced and moved as the performance was underway. The talented company transformed what appeared to be trash into something darkly modern and beautiful.

The evening was different than expected, but the performance was spellbinding and captivating because of the energy flowing from the souls of the dancers. It is hard not be caught up when viewing performers who contain such talent and aptitude, and it is a wonder and a privilege to be able to share in their dreams for a night.

The show ended with a standing ovation from the audience, and the company had indeed shown the spectators a taste of culture, raw talent and heart that is not available everyday. It was truly a gift of an evening.

For more information on the Rainbow Dance Theatre visit http://www.rainbowdancetheatre.org/.

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