This weekend, student choreographers from the Dance Department’s Composition class debuted their original works from the semester in the Spring Dance Concert, S[our]ce. The dancers had the rare opportunity to sit still (a difficult task for students who were born to move) and watch their choreography come to life on stage with the help of other Wesleyan students. The night provided a starting point for the students of the Dance Department to hone the choreography skills that may develop into their senior theses at the end of their time at Wesleyan.
The styles of each choreographer came through in the different pieces, and distinct messages could be translated from the dances. Stellar Levy ’15 choreographed an abstract-yet-comprehensible piece titled, “Love You Infinitely.” Her dancers clearly conveyed the development of love in some unconventional forms, complete with distorted hugs and an interesting transition from solo works to group interactions.
Miranda Orbach ’15 also kept her choreography consistent with her piece title, “Sleepwalk” (written in sign language on the program). Each move by the dancers was made with deliberate specificity, and the dancers gracefully controlled one another in a dreamlike state. Dat Vu ’15 and Coady Johnson ’15 also displayed some impressive core strength with a few headstand poses that audience members may have previously thought were only possible in a place where the laws of gravity are more lenient.
Another standout piece of the night was choreographed by Tess Jonas ’15, titled “face forward.” Jonas incorporated her theatrical background into the intro of the piece by having Gabe Gordon ’15 answer a series of questions, chorused by the rest of the dancers. The piece reflected a contradiction between the innocence of childhood and the surrounding world, with the dancers using each other as jungle gyms against music that included news reports of Columbine. The dance as a whole was powerful yet succinct, making it a fan favorite.
Other choreographers took a more stylistic approach to their pieces, as opposed to conceptual focuses. Min Suh ’15 played with lighting in her piece “Never Let Me Go.” A small flashlight and strobe light were used to highlight the dancers in an otherwise pitch-black stage, causing the audience to shift focus from their silhouettes to their shadows against the walls of the ’92. This visual differed from the other performances of the night. Ibironke Otusile ’15 experimented with music selection in “Silent Silhouettes,” in which the music made shifts from dance to reggae selections. This musical variety allowed the dancers to try out many different dance styles. In “Box of Subsets,” Judy Lee ’13 used her choreography to clearly display everyday actions, such as commuting on a train or bus. This realistic depiction set the scene and contrasted well with the more combative dance moves shown throughout the rest of the piece.
The show was consistent in its display of innovative choreographic ideas, no matter where the other focuses of the piece may have fallen. “Empathy” by Emily Jones ’14 ignited a particularly passionate performance from her dancers, specifically Sarah Greizer ’16, who ran around the stage in an energized yet purposeful manner. Harry Zhu ’15 successfully used his moves to create both overlap and conflict between his dancers, who were split into teams of black and white through their costumes in “CCACMA.H.”
Some of the most eye-catching movements came from “Unsounded” by Nora Thompson ’15. The piece was intriguing in its intricate balance of subtleties and exaggerations, from large, shaking movements to more discrete shuffling and rocking from the dancers. This successful juxtaposition allowed the audience to comfortably shift from watching the image of the dancers as a group to concentrating on the individual body part of only one, such as the small movement of one foot.
The concert was an overall successful display of both the choreographers’ intuition towards movement and the hard work they put towards honing their craft over the spring semester. In the spirit of arts at Wes, this was an excellent opportunity for students to come together and collaborate on original works, producing noteworthy results and a fun time for all involved.