'Enduring' moments on stage

Student dancers perform

HANNA MARTINSON / contributing photographer Freshman Kathleen Ferraro, Dana Lokitis, Emily Hynes and Tiffany Brooks perform in "Storm."

In a mixture of thoughtful expressionism and light comedy, the dance department presented its bi-annual student concert, "Enduring Reflections" last Thursday through Saturday in Godwin Hall.

The show consisted of several dance ensembles and two solo pieces. Each piece was choreographed and written by a student dancer, with one by a faculty member, and various pieces had some input from the other dancers, according to the program.

The costumes for the show were simple and changed according to the type of piece the dancers were performing. They wore leotards in some pieces and track pants and tank tops in others. This simplicity in costume made the performance down-to-earth and fun.

A highlight of the evening was hearing "Beginnings," a Jimi Hendrix tune. In this piece, "Chords," choreographed by seniors Molly Lehman and Emily Mlot for the freshman dance ensemble, the dancers were dressed in blue jeans and black shirts, giving it a funky, modern feel. "That (‘Chords') was my favorite so far," junior Nicole Barb said at intermission.

The last piece before intermission was the ode to Coca-Cola, "Carbonated — Water High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sucrose Caramel Color — Phosphoric Acid — Natural Flavors — Caffeine," choreographed by senior Keira Hart. The audience laughed throughout the entire piece, in which the dancers were dressed in black and white costumes. The stage was lined with Coke cans and a TV displayed a Coke ad throughout the dance. The dancers happily drank from the cans while they danced and the final scene comically showed the triumph of Coke over Pepsi.

The lively piece "1155 South Main," choreographed by senior Jessica Fanning, had various sound bites from Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and popular hip-hop songs. The dancers mimed dribbling a basketball, primping and more. "It was old school hip-hop with the track pants and everything," Barb said.

One of the most powerful performances of the evening was in another freshman dance ensemble piece called "Shift," choreographed by professor of dance Shane O'Hara with assistance from the dancers. The music started out with an industrial sound and then moved into faster, instrumental music. The dancers imitated each other's postures and played off each other well in the dance. "It was interesting how the dancers mimicked each others' poses," junior Heather Egbert said. "It looked like they were residual images."

Senior Henry Hill's solo piece, "The One About ME …" was interesting in that it started out with him singing and was accompanied by the Janet Jackson song "Got Till It's Gone." Hill's work was very sexy, complemented by the dramatic lighting and his simple white pants and vest. The vest was removed later in the course of the dance. The audience's squeals and screams showed their appreciation of Hill's performance.

Hilarity ensued with the last piece, "Epeler," choreographed by junior April Gruber, which mocked young ballet dancers. The dancers sprinkled glittery dust and came on stage wearing fluffy white tutus. All the while the girls squealed random phrases such as, "Don't stand in the middle! That's my spot!" and "Hey what comes after this?" The dance was completed with a giggling glitter fight mid-stage. This piece was a fun, comical way to end the night.

Despite the hot conditions in the dance studio and the length of the program, it was quite entertaining. Some pieces inspired thoughtfulness and demonstrated beauty in form and structure. "It was very sculptural," senior Susan Lynch said.

Others inspired laughter in the audience and gave relief from the more serious pieces, while demonstrating skill in dance.