Jazz, Tap, Indian, Javanese: these are just some of the styles of dance taught at Wesleyan and performed last Sunday at the Worlds of Dance Concert. The World Music Hall was at maximum capacity even before the scheduled start time of the concert on Sunday. About 50 students and family members milled around Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. until they entered Crowell Concert Hall for the second portion of the concert. Only the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble and Javanese Dance class, two exceptionally talented groups of students, actually performed in the World Music Hall.
“I was really damn pissed off when I couldn’t get in to see the Gamelan and Javanese dancers,” said Ben Ansfield ’08. “But, as soon as the portion in Crowell started, I wasn’t mad anymore.”
The second portion of the concert started off with a tap trio choreographed by Lynn Favin ’08, a student in the Jazz I course, to “Mr. Pinstripe Suit.” The audience welcomed this dance with a loud cheer, and continuing cheering as the Tap I class came on stage. Clad in black pants and bright solid shirts, they started off their performance by doing a slow progression of tap moves in a moving circle around the stage. They performed three pieces, two with a live accompanist. The whole group looked well rehearsed and calm.
Next was the first of the two Introduction to Dance classes. Both classes performed in the same format.
The dancers entered by flipping, crawling, running, or sliding on stage from the front or sides. They wore all sorts of different costumes ranging from jeans to dresses to cutoffs. They started striking poses and moving about on stage for a while. Then both classes split the large group into smaller ones of approximately five students each that did individual performances as classmates looked on from the sides of the stage. There were about six groups in each class.
The first Intro. Dance class had one very funny performance consisting of some well known dance moves performed with high energy. These included the lawn mower, the shopping cart and acting as if they were in a car.
The second Intro. Dance class had one exceptionally high-energy group, dancing to a lively country song. The performers started in the center of the stage while one performer was swept in by another. They all donned cowboy hats, with the girls in skirts and black leggings while the boys were shirtless and wearing jeans. Both groups ended with the entire class swarming the last small group to perform and going through a final set of poses and bowing together.
“This was my first dance class at Wesleyan, but it certainly won’t be my last,” said Allison McGrath ’08 after her performance in the first presentation.
Bharta Natyam, a class teaching South Indian classical dance, performed next. For these pieces, a small ensemble of musicians, including three vocalists, two mridangram players, one flute player, and one conductor, performed on stage with the dancers. The first dance, performed by a trio of students in Bharata Natyam II, showcased the main components of Bharata Natyam dance. The rest of the pieces told stories that were translated at the start of each dance by a performer in the dance. The Bharata Natyam class performed a piece called Mukunda Shabdam. This piece was about the god Krishna, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. The dancers looked confident and comfortable on stage performing the difficult dance moves. After this dance two Bharata Natyam I students, Tharakad Venkatachalam ’08 and Aparana Iyer ’08 performed a duet entitled “Kondandarama Shabdam.” The Bharata Natyam II class performed the final Bharata Natyam dance, entitled “Varnum”.
The Jazz class took the stage next, dancing to “Turkey in the Straw” in red and white shirts and black pants. They performed a few numbers full of excitement showcasing various components of jazz dance. The dancers clapped, jumped, and moved back and forth on the stage. They all had huge smiles on their faces and seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly.
After the performance, many students waited about to congratulate friends and classmates for a job well done. Many in attendance expressed the desire to now take a dance class at Wesleyan.
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