The multi-award winning Complexions Contemporary Ballet at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center Saturday mesmerized the audience with its slick dances.
They had a variety of routines ranging from the traditional pointe dance accompanied by classical music to the upbeat modern dance following the beats of “U2.”
“Mercy” opened up with classical music, and its theme was forgiveness. Dancers appeared on stage wearing costumes that matched their skin color.
The dance seemed to show hatred between men and women, as the dancers took turns dancing in rows of dancers of the same sex.
All of a sudden, the music stopped. All the dancers, except for one man, left the stage. The audience could feel his loneliness as the man danced slowly in misery. The lack of music made him appear depressed, since the routine’s only sound was his feet hitting the stage.
After being immersed in silence, it was extremely shocking when low-frequency music blasted on. Many dancers appeared on stage at the same time, dancing in synchronized form. The happy emotion on the dancers’ faces signified that the males and females forgave each other.
According to Cal State Long Beach 2008 alumnus in art history and retired professional dancer, Kimberly Shelton, “Mercy” was too long and too fast-paced for her to enjoy.
“I wanted to see a pause,” Shelton said.
“Hissy Fits” had a much quicker pace compared to “Mercy.” This series of dances did a great job showing the emotional impulses in people’s relationships, set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
“Hissy Fits” was a story about what couples go through, and expressed dynamic emotions – like love, joy and frustration. With the soothing sound of the piano and the violin, the dancers put the audience into dreamland with their mesmerizing moves in the midst of thick fog. The various dance routines symbolized the unstable relationships that couples experience at one time or another, emotionally.
“Couples moved very smoothly, and the movements were beautiful and interesting,” Shelton said. “The music made me feel intense emotionally, and the length of the dance was perfect.”
“Rise” was a dance intended to inspire hope in the power of love, set to music by U2. The choreographers wanted to show joy in this routine. The dancers ran around on stage in red suits, creating a lot of energy.
The men lifted the women as if they were feathers. The lights on stage turned neon green, turning the dancers into captivating, moving black shadows. The men leapt high and far. The women looked funny when they did cartwheels across the stage in shadows. The choreographers intentionally used the shadows to emphasize happiness, by having the dancers do big movements.
“Couples did an amazing job doing a total of 16 dances,” Shelton said. “I’d be here again for the next dance show.”
