Alice Condadina, a former dancer with the Limon Company once said, “When you are not dancing you are resisting.” “Danceworks 2003,” the current TI show, revels in this principle, daring its viewers to discover the pure joy of movement.
The seven-piece program features Northwestern dance pieces choreographed by six NU professors and one Speech ’02 alumna. The program opens with Laura Wade’s “Clearing,” a neoclassical ballet piece for four dancers. The dancing is crisp, especially the pointe work of Communication freshman Elizabeth Kimball whose exquisite lines seemed to fill the entire stage.
Melissa Thodos’ “Trickle/Rush” fuses water music with lush suspensions of the torso, arms, head and side. Thodos’ greatest gift as a choreographer is her ability to make physically challenging phrases come alive, not strained or difficult, but organic. Her choreographic choices elucidate the emotional search for self-appreciation that her dancers take. The transitions between movements, phrases and dancers are seamless.
Speech ’02 alumna Joanna Rudnick’s “Running with Scissors” brings the theme of schoolyard teasing to life through tap dance. Her playful gestures and the primary colored dresses add a brilliant comic effect the tap number.
Lisa Wymore’s “Short Neat Hair” closes the first act with a 1920’s style. She uses modern dance vocabulary to depict single women moving, either by choice or by necessity, to a new place. Wymore uses song, audible locomotor movements and suitcases in addition to fabulous ’20s costumes, to convey the myriad of emotions felt by single women at the time. The three soloists, Communication senior Meghann Wilkinson, Weinberg senior Meghann Okin and Communication senior Jenny Shore, bring sensuality, wonder and elation to the piece.
Deb Giordano’s “Reflections” features four excellent dancers but does not grow choreographically in an engaging or surprising manner. “Trilogy,” by Terri Jo Garner Englund is a fun, energy-driven piece. The petit-allegro work by Jenna Kahn is particularly enjoyable for its clarity.
The final work of the program was choreographed by artistic director Billy Siegenfeld for his company Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. Siegenfeld’s “Settling for Less” explores internal and external sources of strength through jazz technique. Violent punches and snarls across the dancers’ faces challenge the audience to accompany the dancers on the emotionally turbulent journey of the dance. The dancers set the bar high, testing the limits of their bodies and emotions. As they loosen up from their initial aggressive postures, their scapulas sing.
Weinberg Senior Samantha Friedman said Siegenfeld “really highlights the tension between being tough and being sexy.” The dancers have a pre-dance mantra that they use to get into character: “I don’t care what you think about me ‘cuz I know I got it.”
The piece is not constrained by its tough exterior. Moments of personal triumph and profound tenderness prevail, elucidating Siegenfeld’s belief that letting go is as necessary as resisting. “Settling for Less” is not about giving up dreams. It is about accepting what is already true and learning to find peace and strength in those things. nyou