Senior dancers have final whirl on Columbia stage

A collage of distinct dance pieces performed in just under two hours, the Senior Creative Thesis Dance Concert was a small gem of a show. The seven-piece dance concert, which took place on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2 at Barnard’s Minor Latham Playhouse, presented an exciting fusion of artistic choices—from a dancer in a tutu delivering a frantic monologue about inferiority to girls in overalls dancing to the rustic tunes of “Golden Bough.”

Although it was a refreshingly brief array of colorful artistic innovation compiled into one weekend night, the concert lagged until almost halfway, when the dancers broke from mere choreography and burst into sincere performance.

The first piece of the night, “Tu, three, floor,” choreographed by Dehui Kong, CC ’11, did not begin the program on such a strong step.

The “California Skank” remix set high expectations—one almost expected break dancing or something more risky. And though undoubtedly funky, the dancers’ movements weren’t as sharp and hypnotic as the music itself. The costume choice of loose shirts and grey-washed skinny jeans was partially to blame. Although this urban getup fit with the music, the outfits obscured the contours of the dancers’ bodies, dulling what could have otherwise been an action-packed performance.

But once “Apperception (an idea, perceived with full awareness)” began, the dance movements finally reached a mastered alacrity. Originally staged diagonally and to the left of the lighting, the dancers followed the light across the stage with ballet-like movements, every muscle in their bodies operating like clockwork but infused with passion.

“Concentric living room” by Caroline Walthall, BC ’11, was the climax of the show. It began with one dancer in a young girl’s smock carrying a box full of childhood trinkets: a teddy bear, a crystal ball, and others. Setting them down in a circle around her, the girl proceeded to dance. Out of nowhere, another girl appeared from the left. Like frantic marionettes, the two dancers interacted in beautiful symmetry—clenching each other’s shoulders, skipping to the tip of the stage, yanking at each other’s clothing and bumping their hips playfully, punctuating the story with realism and an emotional framework that carried on until the very end.

“Comfortable,” by Katie Stricker, BC ’11, zanily ended the dance concert. Overalls were an intriguing costume choice, especially since six dancers were wearing identical pairs. The piece was full of robotic movements and strange little jigs suited to the farm-like overture of the music. At one point, the girls all began to murmur incoherently and then suddenly—with their bodies—formed a shower under which one girl began to wash herself. Although confusing and somewhat disconcerting, the piece skillfully pushed boundaries while still paying tribute to the art of dance.

It is a pity that this show ran two days during the mid-semester slump. The concert was an excellent showcase of artistic innovation created within, yet rarely seen outside of, the classroom. Although it took a while, it ultimately culminated into a breathtaking show, with dancers pushing their bodies to the limit and using their minds to create a truly inspiring narrative.