Go ahead, dance
Mark Freeman
Issue date: 5/12/09 Section: News
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For a program all about images, the title was important. Vera Schwegler '10, a member of the Company, explained that many of the dances "reflect themes, ideas and emotions." This was certainly true in the first dance, a piece called "Fly on the Wall." In the program booklet, choreographer Rosana Barragán described the performance as one about seven young women, "each with her own story and views." The dance was a way of "digging into the tension between what is private and what is public," Barragán said.
The show began with an outdoor performance, a move which surprised junior Chris Campbell. "I've never seen a show that started out like that," he said. In this particular piece, members of the Company draped themselves over the railings outside LeFevre Theatre. The piece was designed so the audience watched from a different location than their seats -it expected "the audience to be active participants, moving through the space and finding different perspectives to see the dance," Barragán said.
After this piece, the Dance Company moved inside for seven more pieces. Of particular note was the performance titled "Adjuma Mbo," an African dance choreographed by Pope Flyne. The piece was bouncy and cheerful -indeed, the program described it as a dance which "depicts farmers congratulating each other for a great harvest." Flyne himself played the drums accompanying the group.
The final performance of the night, Cathy Davalos' "Musical Chairs," featured five unique seamless parts with titles like "Word Games," "Obsession" and "Court Dance." It was accompanied by violin concertos by 15th century baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi.
Schwegler enjoyed performing this dance "because all the dancers got to tease their hair and really get into character." Since the entire dance company performed the piece together, it created "a great sense of community with one another on stage," she said.
The directors were proud of what was accomplished. "We are truly impressed with your wisdom, creative voices, and beautiful dancing," Davalos and Jia Wu wrote on the program.