2008 Woodie Awards
Final dance of year, Grace, a success
Dance Company ends year with great performance
Khalida Sarwari
Issue date: 5/15/07 Section: Detour
The renowned American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham once said, "Dance is the hidden language of the soul." On Thursday, May 10, this language was expressed beautifully and with grace (pun intended) in LeFevre Theatre. The 10th anniversary concert aptly entitled "Grace," was presented by the Saint Mary's College Dance Company.
The two-hour program featured a total of nine performances. Many of the performances had an ethereal quality to them and seemed to get more intricate as the evening progressed. The tempo of the dances was generally rapid with intervals of slower dances. The dancers were all excellent with agile feet and energy that was sustained for the entire duration of the evening. There was no singular theme to the performances, but rather an array of diverse themes.
Although all of the dances were modern, one of the more avant-garde dances was entitled "The End of the Road," choreographed by Amber McCall. The focus of this dance was on global warming awareness. The performance featured two big projectors on both sides of the stage with a microphone set up on the far right. Periodically during the performance, one of the dancers would speak into the microphone and their movements would be projected dramatically in slow motion on the screen. Interspersed into the dance were facts and figures about the effects of global warming around the world. The social awareness theme of the dance was complemented by the accompaniment of new age music courtesy of Idiom Creek and Mr. Dark Keys.
A few of the dances were of the cultural variety. Dressed in traditional Mexican clothing, Fabiola Rufino and Corinne Simpson did an outstanding job performing the "Ballet Folkorico Mexicano." Three pairs of couples danced "The Tango," which was surprisingly amusing while being romantic at the same time. Elizabeth Morales, Rebecca Almanza, and Luis Siu danced exquisitely in the colorful "Deep in a Tree," making it one of the more visually pleasing dances. The most exciting performance was entitled "Somata, the Spirit of Thunder." According to the program guide, this dance tells the story of Somata being a manifestation of God in the form of light, sound, lightening, and thunder. The dance was accompanied by the marvelous drumming of Pope Flyne.
To cap off the concert, all of the dancers performed "Grace," accompanied by a haunting rendition of "Amazing Grace," performed by members of the Gospel Voices of Saint Mary's. It was easy to see just how much of their heart and soul the dancers poured into each and every performance. If only we could see the soul express itself like this more often!
The two-hour program featured a total of nine performances. Many of the performances had an ethereal quality to them and seemed to get more intricate as the evening progressed. The tempo of the dances was generally rapid with intervals of slower dances. The dancers were all excellent with agile feet and energy that was sustained for the entire duration of the evening. There was no singular theme to the performances, but rather an array of diverse themes.
Although all of the dances were modern, one of the more avant-garde dances was entitled "The End of the Road," choreographed by Amber McCall. The focus of this dance was on global warming awareness. The performance featured two big projectors on both sides of the stage with a microphone set up on the far right. Periodically during the performance, one of the dancers would speak into the microphone and their movements would be projected dramatically in slow motion on the screen. Interspersed into the dance were facts and figures about the effects of global warming around the world. The social awareness theme of the dance was complemented by the accompaniment of new age music courtesy of Idiom Creek and Mr. Dark Keys.
A few of the dances were of the cultural variety. Dressed in traditional Mexican clothing, Fabiola Rufino and Corinne Simpson did an outstanding job performing the "Ballet Folkorico Mexicano." Three pairs of couples danced "The Tango," which was surprisingly amusing while being romantic at the same time. Elizabeth Morales, Rebecca Almanza, and Luis Siu danced exquisitely in the colorful "Deep in a Tree," making it one of the more visually pleasing dances. The most exciting performance was entitled "Somata, the Spirit of Thunder." According to the program guide, this dance tells the story of Somata being a manifestation of God in the form of light, sound, lightening, and thunder. The dance was accompanied by the marvelous drumming of Pope Flyne.
To cap off the concert, all of the dancers performed "Grace," accompanied by a haunting rendition of "Amazing Grace," performed by members of the Gospel Voices of Saint Mary's. It was easy to see just how much of their heart and soul the dancers poured into each and every performance. If only we could see the soul express itself like this more often!