By snoadmin
The undergraduate dance students at Cal State Long Beach melded art and movement to create dance pieces that continually impressed the audience at Saturday night’s performance.
The CSULB College of the Arts and department of dance put together the annual contemporary dance concert, which is a program of original choreography by CSULB undergraduate dance majors. The show included 10 live performances and two dance films, one shown in the lobby of the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater and the other in between dances on stage.
The dance department described on its website the concert and the student choreographers as “an evening of diverse dance styles showcasing their unique creative voice.”
In “Ag Cruinniu, Pour Savoir, Move (Meet, Know, Move),” students Ciara Baynes and Wesley Faucher created a beautiful dance that exuded emotions of happiness and love. The live music, composed and performed by Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick, kept a rhythm that complimented the movement and expressions of the dancers beautifully.
Following the duo’s performance, student choreographer Victoria Baker’s piece, “Self.titled,” began with one female dancer who brought out four more dancers with her flowing movements. The women moved with fluidity, as their light blue dresses floated around them. The dancers stretched their limbs and reached out to fill the space around them, then letting gravity pull their bodies back and to the ground.
“I Say,” a piece choreographed by Anna Hundtoft, was inspired by Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman.” Warm colors of pink, orange and blue in the background were reminiscent of a sunrise. The dancers moved in the lighting like it was rays of sunshine. Hartley Adams and Brittany Ullestad danced to a song with a folk-country flavor, with stringed instruments like a guitar and fiddle. In one moment in the piece, the two women paused and looked at each other in a happy moment in time before the pace of the music picked up and they began to move again.
“This Is What Remains?” a solo piece choreographed and performed by Samuel Propersi, seemed to entertain the audience. Audience members laughed as Propersi acted confused, nervous and almost disoriented on stage before attempting to dance. He acted uncomfortable, trying to grip the stage with his toes like he was trying to find his feet. He reached on the floor of the stage for something to hold onto, something that helped him become more comfortable with his performance. He would have it in his right hand, and then lose it again. This was the most interpretive piece that ended with Propersi holding something and looking into a bright spotlight coming from stage left.
Yu Kondo brought a cultural performance to the concert with “No Purple Sky.” Kondo, lit by a blue sky background and seated on a wooden chair, introduced her dance by telling a tale in Japanese. I had a hard time understanding this piece, but Kondo’s dancing was graceful and I still enjoyed watching her and trying to interpret what she was saying and doing.
“Youmeiwetheyusthem,” choreographed by Jordan Isadore, was reminiscent of a fashion show. The music had a strong base and made me want to get up and dance. Dancers wore elaborate costumes, hair in wild up-do’s and lots of makeup.
“Bound” was a shorter dance choreographed and performed by Haylee Bargainer. The tempo of the music was building as she danced; to me it sounded like a propeller airplane about to take off.
“Endless Ground” is a film created by Megan Shaffer, who also choreographed the dance in the film performed by Jess Gale. The film portrays Gale unable to sit still in civilization and dancing freely in the ocean and on mountain tops. The scenery in the film was awe-inspiring. The dance students were able to put together the film using funding from Women and Philanthropy, CSULB and the Summer Stipend award for students, granted by the Office of the Provost at CSULB.
Dedicated to the late member of the dance crew Jabbawokeez, Gary Kendall, Danae McWatt’s “Aqueous Solution,” had hip hop elements; shoulder bouncing, popping, and some variations of signature Jabbawokeez movements. The turquoise background made it look like the dancers were moving underwater. This was my favorite piece of the night.
“Conflicted” was a sensual dance by Estee Carrizosa, who danced with a silver mask and dressed in a black lace ensemble. She kept her face hidden with her hands and her long brown hair even after she took off the mask, and only revealed her face at the end of her performance, as if shedding her struggles.
The dance “Ollin” completed the dance concert and had the most dancers participating at 14. Choreographer Hugo Diaz made a piece that could be described as loose ballet – very graceful without strict uniformity. There were beautiful angles, formations and transitions on stage, and the varied backgrounds of pink to a dark sky with stars made this a perfect dance to end the night with.
