Conceptual and edgy, last week’s Ballet Showcase I put on by the Ballet Department composed of 11 dances with about 60 different dancers.
This show, choreographed completely by students, broke away from the norm of traditional ballet style and brought in less classical, more modern genres of dance.
Students danced elegantly and beautifully, even if they weren’t always in complete synchronization. Each number had its own personality and its own story to tell.
The show began with the number “Undecided,” choreographed by Saena Fukui. The movements of this number were perfectly coordinated, as the two male roles of the dance highlighted the piece by performing a series of lifts and jumps.
An edgy piece called “I Ran,” choreographed by Devon Joslin, included repeated and clear-cut movements, giving it less flow but a more striking quality.
“River Reborn,” choreographed by Chloe Holzman, portrayed a unique, hard-living, Southern style of dancing. It told a story that was quite rural and raw. The music also included a female vocalist and drumbeats.
Perhaps the most interesting piece in the showcase was “Breathe Here Now,” choreographed by Jessica Cetrone, which contained no music whatsoever. Creating its own mystical aura, four dancers provided sharp breaths and gasps to replace the musical element of dance.
The duet “Behaving,” choreographed by Elissa Butler, who also danced in it, consisted of imitative motions as the male dancer and the female dancer mirrored each other at the beginning of the performance. From reflected steps to a pas de deux-inspired practice, the dancers evolved to a push-and-pull sequence of dance.
Richard Wacko, a professor in the Ballet Department and the producer of the Ballet Showcase believes this year’s showcase focused on both contemporary and classical dance styles.
“We don’t give any preference to any style of dance,” Wacko said. “I’m impressed [with] the ballet students. They’re so capable of doing so many different styles of dance. It keeps us up on all the diverse trends out there. Sometimes [the students] emphasize pop music, which we support fully, but we also like them to look back and incorporate the classical numbers.”
Timothy Knoll, a sophomore who choreographed the only solo piece in the show, “Seconds,” has been doing ballet for 11 years and finds inspiration for his choreography through listening to music.
“When I listen to music, I see dance,” Knoll said. “My piece [‘Seconds’] is very contemporary. It’s kind of a shock to the audience because there are little bits of color and movement that are very sharp. It’s about a girl’s struggle with gravity, and I think her movements really capture the attention of the audience.”
As far as his peers, Knoll expressed how glad he is to be in such an intensive program. “It makes me so happy to be around dancers of this caliber, and I love that we have a really strong legacy,” Knoll said.
Charlotte Kelley, a junior in ballet and exercise and sport science, choreographed “Counterpoint,” the only true classical dance in the show. Kelley was inspired by an app on her phone that allows the user to listen to and play piano pieces. “I was kind of struck by it,” Kelley said. “It’s originally an organ piece but I chose to do a piano transcription version. It took me quite a bit of time to choreograph the dance. I’m very musical so I like to make sure the steps are very well related to the music.”
The closing number of the showcase, “Vows,” contained the largest number of dancers, with nineteen performers. Talia Johansen, a junior in Ballet and International Studies, choreographed the piece. “Most choreographers picked their dancers based on movement,” Johansen said. “But mine was more open, so freshmen could get a head start in their first show.”
“Vows” was a narrative dance, starting with a female and a male sitting at opposite ends of a table with a line of silhouetted dancers behind them. As the number progressed, the upbeat music and choreography narrated the troubles of a young girl who cannot get her partner to commit. The dance is humorous and light, but the emotions and frustrations of the female character are very apparent.
“It’s more jazz type dancing,” Johansen said. “It has a real storyline, it’s meant to entertain the audience.” Her dancers wore heels rather than traditional ballet flats, which made the dance unique and a bit more casual than the others.
There are two ballet showcases every year, one per semester, and three other performances that are professionally choreographed.