By snoadmin
The Masters of Fine Arts Concert, “The Collective Eclectic,” served as a living research platform for six graduate students to explore and catechize concepts of dance, and was truly unique.
This past weekend, the Department of Dance opened the doors to the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater, where the individual and collaborative choreographies of Jenilyn Brown, Summer M.O. Brown, Brian Moe, Renee Murray and Sara Pfeifle were showcased.
The concert commenced with Murray’s piece, “Outdoors.” The work was adapted for the stage after it was created for a site-specific work by the choreographer and dancers in response to the environment of an outdoor locale on campus. The curtain arose to expose an empty stage that was quickly filled with 13 dancers who wore pedestrian clothing and moved to the sound of silence, seemingly to question the nature of dance.
The dancers would venture between natural body movements, modern dance techniques and repeated poses mixed with sudden gestures toward the sky. The piece included interesting moments throughout, such as when the dancers performed behind the proscenium arch — raising questions about the performance’s existence.
If the audience expected this piece to involve more traditional elements of dance choreography, the reception may have echoed that of the French ballet premier of “Le Sacre du Printemps.” Yet, the culmination of Murray’s conceptual avant-garde inspired vision resulted in a piece that demonstrated her choreographic aptitude for postmodern ideas of dance and intrigued the audience.
Following Murray’s postmodern display was “Mulch,” a work choreographed by Jenilyn Brown, Summer Brown and Brian Moe to the sounds of “Berliner Messe” by composer Avro Part. The stage was barren. The only production element present was lighting designed to look like rays of light shining through the stained glass cathedral windows.
The choreography was a mixture of classical modern dance techniques that, when paired with the poignancy of the music, generated endearing images of melancholy guardian angels. Sadly, while the harmony of the two Browns served to coincide with the harmony transmitted from the music, Moe’s performance detracted from the work due to his abridged phrasing and apparent lack of awareness of his surroundings.
The ensuing performance “Does This Make Any Sense?” by Pfeifle featured a mixture of characters: dancers, female attendants and a narrating hostess. The work flirted with the audience’s senses, attempting to produce multiple sensory experiences.
The opening scene included an old-fashion red popcorn cart that was featured in a humorous, semi-seductive duet with one of the dancers. To include the sense of taste, audience members were handed bags of popcorn and invited to partake in Pfeifle’s exploration into the variegated human sensations.
The whole work was akin to watching a dance on sensory stimulants. Although some transitions on stage were vaguely structured, the overall approach was quite charming. The choreography attempted to draw on each sensation for inspiration in its dynamics and movement vocabulary, creating moments of play, love and compassion.
Jenylin Brown’s “Prism,” followed in a line of works that explored the theme of opposing relations. Four dancers moved with a spirit that contracted and expanded throughout their movements.
Suspended above the dancers were crystals and CDs that reflected light and broke down the color spectrum. The effect played with the concept of high and low energy levels as they turned about and pulsated rays of light throughout the theater. The spacing of the dancers and the structure of the choreography worked well to evoke Cubism, thus echoing the fractured light of the set design.
The only hindrance to this piece was the selection in costume, which were white silken dresses that often had an opposing effect on the intensity attained during the movement’s high levels of energy.
“Stream Our Consciousness Mr. Bel,” by Murray and Pfeifle was the concert’s concluding performance. The two adorned the stage wearing tank tops and miniskirts that matched those of the 3-foot doll that accompanied them, which suggested innocence in the performers. The doll, a chair and a cardboard cutout of a crescent moon were the only props. Murray and Pfeifle wasted no time, treating the audience to their cynical look into the world of art and life in Southern California.
While Murray spoke about herself, Pfeifle stood the doll in front of herself and created the illusion of the doll raising its hands searching for a touch of Pfeifle’s breasts. This was just one of the many times when Murray or Pfeifle served as puppeteer for the doll or the other dancer.
The burlesque theme of the performance was whimsically displayed as Pfeifle spoke about her autonomy in relationships while being manipulated by Murray. The performance included the music “Be My Lover” by La Bouche and “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest, which served to enhance the camp-infused production. The performance could only be described as a piece that was witty, intelligently crafted, quirky, gay and fun to watch.
The graduate students from the Department of Dance brought a collection of pieces that showcased their development of conceptual dance theories to the stage. From the thought-provoking to the amusing, every piece offered an introspective look into the minds of the choreographers.
