The Fall Dance Concert debuted in Ashamu Dance Studio Thursday night. The show was the first in a series of four scheduled for this weekend. It features approximately 86 dancers in total, with several appearing more than once during the 10 different pieces presented.
The pace of the show is brisk, with the average piece performed by four to six dancers and running only a few minutes in length. The entire concert runs about one hour and 20 minutes.
The goal of the show, according to stage manager and co-producer Laura Nave '06, is to provide "a sampler" for the Brown community of the work being done on campus by student dancers. "The quality of work in the show is really outstanding," Nave said, adding that she was pleased with the opening night's performance.
Student choreographers apply to participate in the concert with an already-prepared piece and chosen dancers. According to Nave - who is also the president of Body and Sole, the umbrella group for all campus dance groups that puts on the show - this makes the final set of performances a review of some of the best the student body has to offer. She noted that the concert is not a showcase for other student- and faculty-run dance groups such as Impulse and Fusion. While a piece may contain dancers that belong to Fusion, Nave said, they do not make the piece "a Fusion piece."
The show includes a diverse set of styles - tap, step, hip-hop, classical, modern, ballet, jazz - and one piece that fuses classical Indian dance with modern hip-hop and break dancing.
"There were so many different types of dance, it really keeps your attention," said Zuzanna Ciolek '09, a member of the Advanced Modern Dance group, which did tech for the performance. Coilek had seen the show twice prior to Thursday night, and said it still retains a captivating pace.
The selection of music in the show is just as varied as its dance styles, with pieces choreographed to tracks from artists including The Postal Service, Radiohead, Usher, Missy Elliot, Dr. Zeus, and Tori Amos.
Music and style blend in a particularly creative way in the performance's finale, "Virus." The piece features 13 dancers, elaborate, colorful outfits and props, a mix of seven music tracks and incredible energy.
In "Tension," dancers depict a love story involving betrayal and murder, dressed as red and white gangs who brawl in a street scene resembling Michael Jackson's "Beat It." The action takes place against a musical backdrop of Tomoyasu Hotei's "Battle Without Honor," Rosco Coldchain's "Hot" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."
A few of the seats and most of the floor spots were left empty last night, which is common for Thursday shows, said assistant technical coordinator Jennifer Caiffone. She added that turnout for dance concerts tends to increase over the weekend.
Ashamu Dance Studio does not have an elevated stage for the dancers, which was the only major downside of the performance. Further, the lack of sufficient space behind the dance floor limits the size and types of sets performers can use for their pieces, which, if improved, would likely allow for more elaborate visuals to accompany the dances.
The layout of the dance studio could also be improved, as dancers are currently forced to scurry through the same door through which the audience enters and hide backstage.
However, the dancers themselves compensate for the few technical and cosmetic setbacks and have developed pieces that creatively use the space and equipment they have.
Ultimately, the Fall Dance Concert is not a standard prolonged dance performance, limited to one or two interpretations of the art. Bringing together the talents of diverse dance styles, it is a unique illustration of the best of what Brown's dance community has to offer.
Remaining performances are tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students with ID, $10 for seniors, faculty and staff and $15 for the general public.
