DANCE/Hartwell establishes wealth of talent

By Kate Pracher
COPY EDITOR

DANCE/Hartwell, the first student dance concert of SUNY Brockport this semester promised fantastic technical skill and artistry.  The performances ran from Oct. 25 to Oct. 27 in the Hartwell Dance Theatre.

Six pieces were performed in DANCE/Hartwell and all of them were choreographed by dance students. 

The first piece of the student concert was titled “Gridlocked Velocity” and was choreographed by third year graduate dance student Jenny Showalter.  It was set to music performed live by Laura Jensen on cello, Arthur Williford on piano and Matthew Witten on percussion.

“The goal of this dance was to make an athletic work based on the components of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, endurance and flexibility,” Showalter said.

Photos submitted by Laura Frank DANCE/Hartwell was performed by Brockport students who were able to express themselves through dance and what they have learned throughout their career. All of the dances at the performance were choreographed by Brockport students.

 The piece brilliantly created its own small world by producing an atmosphere and tone for the audience to reside in.  The audience immersed themselves in this world as the dancers produced strong angular lines with their bodies.  This world was chaotic most of the time but the dancers were strong, and ready and able for anything.

Showalter started creating this piece by looking at pictures of athletes and dancers to find similarities in movement.

“I showed these pictures to my dancers and we created our own poses based on these surprise moments typically seen in sports,” Showalter said.

Clear-cut lines were created throughout “Gridlocked Velocity” by both the dancers’ limbs and the dancers’ bodies laid out on the stage floor.  Even more lines were produced when these dancers lifted their arms out into the space.  This simple movement created a complex space full of depth.

The 13 dancers interacted with each other using a clear focus and weight sharing to create interesting shapes.  Clumps of four or five dancers were produced often throughout the piece while other dancers collided with the clump then slid down to the floor.

“Gridlocked Velocity” displayed exceptional athleticism and grounded running.  Most of the time, the stage was busy with all of the dancers performing different movements at the same time.  The moments of unison helped to relax the eye, but did not last long.  The busy and chaotic but athletic movement of the choreography was perhaps the most interesting and brilliant part of the piece.

“I want the viewer to have felt the intensity of the movement and ultimately for them to walk away thinking ‘that was beautifully athletic,’” Showalter said.

The second piece of DANCE/Hartwell, “We Don’t Live Here,” was a piece choreographed by junior Sarah Moore in collaboration with senior Courtney Acomb.  These two were also the dancers. They were clothed in earth-tone tops and capris.  The piece started in silence with the dancers keeping close contact with each other.  Their movement was non-locomotor in that it did not travel across the stage.

Once the music started, the movement travelled around the stage and was complimented with the strong, pounding bass line of the music.  The piece displayed smooth transitions with each movement flowing nicely into and influencing the next.

The two dancers kept close contact with each other throughout the piece.  By the end, their bodies were almost tangled up in each other in a complex repetitive sequence rolling off of each others’ bodies. 

The piece after this was titled “Perseverance” and was choreographed by junior Britney Falcon.  This piece was noticeably more upbeat than any other piece performed in DANCE/Hartwell.  It provided the audience with quirky movements appealing to the eye and strong rhythms produced both in the music and the movement.

 “Have We Met?” was a piece choreographed by Courtney Acomb and performed by five dancers.  The tone was mostly mellow and seemed to relax the audience.  The dancers displayed constant eye contact with each other while most of the movement was performed on the floor.

“Breakthrew” was a solo piece choreographed and performed by senior dance student Marcia Vanderlee.  Throughout the entire piece, Vanderlee moved only in a diagonal line.

She started with her back to the audience, turning her head every once in a while to look to the audience.  Her movement vocabulary was strong and athletic and she reached through her limbs with a continuous energy even when she was still.

Vanderlee moved away from the audience as the piece progressed and her movement developed.  She repeated sequences from the beginning of the piece, but surprised the audience by breaking the sequence and adding in different movements.

Although her movement was strong and athletic, Vanderlee possessed certain emotional qualities as well.  The eye contact she made with the audience established a relationship with them and also interested them in what she was doing. 

The last piece was titled “Sepia Enduring” and was choreographed by graduate student Melinda Planey.  The choreography displayed strong technical skill from the three dancers.

The movement vocabulary mostly consisted of scooping curving limbs with the torso following the movement of the limbs.  Their artistry was apparent as they displayed a strong focus and intent.  

DANCE/Hartwell was a strong concert displaying the talent, skill and artistry that dance students at Brockport possess.  This concert was certainly not easy to forget.