Concert ends smoothly despite difficulties

Amy Paterson / photo editor Students perform in "12 Facings" dress rehearsal. The dance was "Do Ya Thing," choreographed by Alan Arnett.

Despite a few minor setbacks, the school of theatre and dance’s Thursday night Student Dance Concert appeared to be a success.

The concert, “12 Facings,” originally was supposed to feature 12 different dance pieces, but due to a last-minute injury, soloist Jess Burgess was not able to perform her self-choreographed piece “Where The Mind Exists.” The concert also experienced some technical difficulties during the performance of “Traeme Paz,” failed to work. “Traeme Paz,” which was on film, was unable to be shown because the video equipment was not functioning.

Aside from these difficulties, the performers, choreographers and audience members said they were were pleased overall with the show. “I thought the concert went well,” said junior Avigail Leighton, one of the show’s three student directors. “All of the dancers really focused on their performances and this showed on stage.”

Sophomore audience member Dana Lokitis enjoyed the concert because of the diversity among the pieces. “I enjoyed the variety of this semester’s student dance concert,” she said. “This concert consisted of many styles of dancing, including modern, jazz, tap, theatrical dance and video dance.”

The piece that evoked the most audience enthusiasm was the “The Backyard Shimmy.” Eleven dancers, who wore brightly colored costumes, used various props including lawn chairs and watering cans, lending a more theatrical feel than other pieces. The music, by Fatboy Slim, was upbeat, fast-paced and had some techno elements. The dancers acted as if they were tanning in a backyard, digging into the ground and pouring water from watering cans on each other.

Sophomore Megan Moran also thought the piece was an audience favorite. “It was a very fun and energetic piece, and brought a lot of pop culture to an art form that has been around for awhile,” she said. “It was a nice change from the usual [dance style], and it left me with a good feeling after watching it.”

Lokitis said that she thought the props used in this dance enhanced its audience appeal. “I like the use of props in ‘The Backyard Shimmy.’ The props were well-utilized in such a funny way,” she said.

Mills thought the audience also responded well to her piece. “While I was on stage I could hear them laughing and such,” she said. She admitted that she intended for her piece to add a new element to the concert. “I wanted it to be a fun piece, something different from the usual modern selections that are normally performed in the Student Dance Concerts,” Mills said. “Tap dancing is normally not performed in concerts, so I think it also gave the concert variety.”

Many of the people involved in the Student Dance Concert were proud of the show that they put on, using the skills and talents they acquired throughout the semester.

“This performance did live up to my expectations,” Leighton said. “With all of us working together, I feel that this concert is a success and will continue to be.”