The ’92 Theater just wasn’t big enough to hold the audience that waited in the Zilkha Pavilion to see the Fall Senior Thesis Dance Concert, “Signs for Life,” that took place last weekend. Even those lucky enough to get tickets—any people showed up an hour before curtain call to put their names on waiting lists for the sold-out performance—eren’t guaranteed actual seats, at least not on Saturday night, as the theater was so packed that some people sat in the aisles. But it was worth it to see the show, which was innovative and exhilarating.

The concert, made up of seven original works by senior dance majors, opened with a powerful piece choreographed by Intisar Abioto ’09 and performed by seven dancers. Featuring poetry by Charles Olson and incorporating human sounds, the dance, titled “Seedstar, Starseeds; Remember That We’re Here,” reminded one of Compagnie Marie Chouinard. As in her September performance, the dance threw a spotlight on speech, speechlessness and the search for connection.

“’Till the ductile anchor hold”—which takes its title from the poem “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” by Walt Whitma—as second in the program. Choreographed by Janani Lee ’09, the dance featured three female dancers who worked with strings that ultimately crisscrossed the stage, creating a net; at the end of the dance, the three cut the strings, and the audience whooped and cheered for the dancer and the choreographer.

The concert took on a more light-hearted tone with the next two dances, “I the multiple exist of space,” choreographed by Spencer Garrod ’09, and “Page Turner,” choreographed by Jermaine Lewis ’09. Garrod’s piece opened with mechanical sounds that each of her five dancers interpreted individually, eventually incorporating music by Collin McMichael, Calexico and the Books. The dancers, costumed in bright primary colors, worked as a full ensemble and, in a series of playful duets, also shone individually.

“Page Turner,” starring six shirtless male dancers wearing white masks, was easily the most mischievous of the night’s pieces. While retaining its artistic impact, the piece also had a distinctive sense of humor that grabbed the audience, as when the dancers formed a line across the back of the stage and mimicked N’Sync’s famous “bye bye bye” move. Everyone clearly got the boy-band reference, which was all the more effective because it was surrounded by interesting, innovative choreography. Maybe the most interesting aspect of the dance was the ending, in which the dancers mimicked “deflating” one another, as though they were blow-up dolls — why this move worked so well is virtually inexplicable, though undeniable.

“I noo too,” choreographed by Samantha Sherman ’09, followed intermission, and was especially interesting for its use of speech and live music. Sherman wrote the words that her dancers recited onstage, and Bella Loggins ’10 wrote and performed the music, which was made up entirely of percussion. In fact, the whole piece, which featured three intensely committed dancers, revolved around the percussion: the percussive sounds of drums, of speaking and breathing, and of pounding feet were all incorporated.

If “I noo too” used percussion to great effect, then Danté Brown ’09’s “300 Thread Count” was especially notable for its use of props—namely, four white sheets. Wearing flannel pajamas, the three dancers (two female, one male) emerged from under sheets, then wore them, then turned them back into props and set pieces. Watching the dancers’ fighting and intimacy between the sheets, the audience seemed drawn into Brown’s scene; “300 Thread Count” was an emotional standout in a night of intense performances.

Perhaps the most intense of all was Shayna Keller ’09’s “Aperture,” which closed the concert with a literal whisper, as the audience paused after the final note died away and the lights went out. “Aperture’s” lighting was, fittingly, one exceptional aspect of the piece; instead of using stage lighting, Keller lined either side of the stage with lamps, which were turned on and off throughout the dance. The music, composed and performed by Adam Tinkle ’08 and Cory Baldwin’09, was equally effective; mixing electronic sounds with live vocals, the musicians produced unearthly sounds that mirrored the otherworldly atmosphere the dance itself created. Of course, the dancers were the main reason for the piece’s success; they were, on the whole, excellent.

The same statement applies to the entire concert as a whole. Although each dance was distinct, each also worked in the context of the overall performance, adding up to an exceptionally entertaining, thought-provoking experience.

Saturday night audience member Sara Hoffman ’09 summed up the night best: “I thought it showed some of the incredible creative talent on this campus.”