The sun was shining, the streets of Main Street were bustling, and waiters and waitresses were dancing on stage. They were performing a piece choreographed by a member of the Liz Lehrman Dance Exchange, just one of the many dances that took place last Saturday during the community-wide festival Middletown Dances! The festival delivered dance performances, workshops, fun and games to the entire community.
Starting at noon, Middletown danced at more than ten venues, most on or near Main Street. The day culminated in an “Everybody Dance” at Wesleyan’s Andrus Field in the late afternoon.
An enormous stage set up in the middle of Main Street, along with the tents, clowns, and community organizations lining the street, added a fair-like atmosphere to downtown Middletown. Different groups danced on the main stage throughout the day, showcasing a variety of genres.
One such act was the Middletown High School Dance Ensemble, which performed a fast-paced number with sharp coordinated moves to the music of Missy Elliot, Destiny’s Child and Kanye West. The receptive audience encouraged the young women of the dance group to perform an encore, which was received enthusiastically.
Directly after the high-school students, the Chinese Tribal Mountain Dancers, part of the Asian Performing Arts Group, took the stage. The dancers, whose mission is to promote and maintain Chinese cultural arts, performed to a song entitled “Beautiful Mountain,” with a dance that originated in Taiwan. One of the five female performers wore the International Peace Belt during this piece. The Peace Belt is a highly ornate work of art originally created in Middletown, CT, by Wendy Black-Nasta. The belt has traveled around the world to promote peace. Every time it arrives in a new country there is a celebration and the money raised goes to international peace efforts. It has been worn by dancers, leaders, and peacekeepers from around the world. Before its appearance at Middletown Dances!, it had most recently been worn in Israel and the Palestine territory.
Many of the ushers from Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts worked the various stages around Middletown and could be seen bustling from place to place in their purple Middletown Dances shirts.
“I think today has been quite interesting,” said usher Jeffery Wong ’08. “The dances are really good and I like my purple shirt!”
The Salsa Clinic on the stage by Citizen’s Bank got the audience on their feet and moving. The instructor from Alisa’s House of Salsa said that salsa is hot right now and anyone at any level of expertise can enjoy it. She then taught a few basic moves to the group and had everyone was dancing by the end of her half-hour workshop.
In the window display of Camp’s Art Gallery, six Wesleyan students performed a series of structured improvisations with some fixed phrases choreographed by a member of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Performers included Meredith Steinberg ’06, Jane Kaufman ’06, Alex Early ’07 and Emily Klasson ’06.
“I loved performing,” Kaufman said. “I was impressed by the community in Middletown. It was exciting seeing all the different groups interacting together.”
Other students performed at various other locations throughout the day. Mike Zimmerman ’08 and Kim Lam ’08 performed on a street corner in Middletown with a drumming tap number they created themselves.
“My participation in Middletown Dances has definitely enhanced my feeling of community within Middletown,” Lam said. “For me it was fun to be performing in the street because I was able to interact with the community. It was great to see Wesleyan appreciating Middletown, and to experience the two communities come together.”
Oddfellows Playhouse on Washington Street also hosted many great dance pieces and a dance theater. Venus Rising Bell Dance Troupe, whose mission is to promote feminine power and freedom through the art of belly dance, performed there and at other venues throughout the day. The group of seven women performed clad in traditional belly dancing clothing and jewelry that accentuated every move.
Full Force Dance theatre performed next on the black box stage and was an interesting comparison to the earlier, more colorful belly dancing. They did two pieces, Under Current and Significant Other, which were both modern dance with many elements of athleticism incorporated into the performance.
While not every member of the Middletown community got off their couches and literally danced in the street, the turnout to most of the events was high.
“People seemed to be having a good time, and there were a surprising number of people actually dancing,” said Mark Zimmerman’08. “It was kind of cute.”
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