Student works worth watching

Warner show highlights senior choreographers

The wealth of student talent in the dance department is evident in a double bill - "Three of Dance" and "Excitation Frequencies" - that will be going up tonight in Warner Main. Both pieces display the innovation that one has come to expect from the student choreographers.

"Three of Dance" is just as the name implies: three dance pieces created by student choreographers. The evening opens with Senior Rob Bettmann's "Untitled with Mother." The piece is a duet between Bettmann and his mother, and in it he explores the nature of the unique bond between a mother and her son. The piece is simple and elegant. The movements are sparse and graceful, and the chemistry between the dancers is evident. The work is touching without being overdone.

Senior Erika Litke's piece, "Hurry Up Please It's Time" is an intense and vibrant solo work. Litke combines her interests in performance and literature in this piece, based on T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land." Like Eliot's poem, the piece is a blend of melodies and moods. The beauty of the poem lies in the number of voices and feelings it evokes, and Litke does an excellent job of translating these senses from the page into the performance. The piece is long and demanding, as is the poem, broken into five parts which correspond to the sections of the poem. Litke rises to the occasion as a solo performer dealing with the demands of the piece.

The last of the three is senior Amy Beth Schneider's "Unburdened." Schneider explores the idea of high energy movement in this lovely piece. The work is rousing and affecting, and like all of the pieces in the show, extremely well danced. The six female dancers will certainly take the audience's breath away. Ridiculous though it may sound, it is a good thing that intermission follows this piece, because the audience is sure to feel like moving, not from boredom, but rather exhilaration.

The second half of the evening is titled "Excitation Frequencies." These five dance pieces are part of Senior Sadie Ishee's Honors Project. Ishee, a dance major with a concentration in design, investigates the relationship between light and the dance medium. Working as artistic director with four student choreographers, Ishee and her collaborators have created pieces which not only serve as wonderful examples of the direction modern dance is taking, but also explore the significant connection between design and performance.

Senior Frank Shea created "Over 55 MPH Before You Forget" for this project. The piece is a whimsical, often funny number featuring five talented dancers playing in a rather elaborate set dotted with televisions. A dragon, Shea himself races back and forth throughout the number. The rapid succession of images on some screens and the static images on others serve as a constant counter to the dancers. The overall impression is one of confusion and over stimulation, as the viewer tries to take in all of the action.

Senior Sara Dickie's piece is called "Motorcity." The tone is set by quiet haunting music by junior Ray Sweeten, and the brightly attired dancers provide a much more understated atmosphere than the previous piece. It is a lovely progression, and the audience is allowed to catch its breath and examine what the dancers are doing. The shifts of light, which are so crucial to the project as a whole, are subtle and lovely, further strengthening the grace and beauty of the dancers themselves.

Senior Erica Litke is also working with Ishee on this project. Her work is titled "The Romance in Lower Mathematics," and features five dancers clad in unusual costumes which play with the light. The movements of light offer a nice counter to the movements of the dancers.

Senior Sabina Blaskovic's "Porn Again" is the next piece in the series. A strangely erotic number, this work is another high-energy piece which really allows the dancers to demonstrate the range of their talents. The unusual red costumes and lighting, along with the title, evoke sexual themes. This sense is nicely balanced by the final piece in the concert, Ishee's "Story Number Two." This piece is spare and elegant, the flowing white costumes of the dancers evoking a sense of fairy-tale beauty associated with more classical ballet pieces. It is the culmination of a successful and impressive evening.