The University of Michigan School of Dance put on their 2012 production, Dancelucent, this weekend at The Power Center. Being a former dance major at Marygrove College, I was really interested to see how the University of Michigan dance program compares. Sadly, I was quite disappointed with Dancelucent…
The first number, “Been a Long Time” choreographed by Bill DeYoung consisted of a series of rock n’ roll numbers, an homage to the culture of rock music. Throughout the show, I had high hopes for the choreography in each piece, the concepts being described thoroughly and interestingly in the program, however each time I was gravely disappointed. The costumes were black and gold, revealing a lot of bare-midriffs reminiscent of a basketball dance team uniform, and the movement was very jazzy and wild, with a lot of big hair flinging around, taking away from the movement quality. The rock n’ roll idea was a bit overstated, and the movement and costumes felt somewhat cheesy and meaningless. The one number I did enjoy, that stood out to me personally, was a solo piece danced by Daniela Blechner to the song “Whiskey, Mystics and Men” by The Doors. The music was very minimal, but catchy, and the dancer’s stumbling, heavy movements, and interactions with a group of “fans” that bombarded her on the stage, then left her, said much about rock n’ roll culture–the drugs, the fans, the fame, the loneliness, and the brevity of it all.
The second piece, “Forest Through The Trees” choreographed by Peter Sparling presented a very interesting concept concerning American life and art. The use of multiple mediums, including video of dancers moving, abstract art, and the live reading of a piece of literature, as well as the beautiful effect created by dancers moving behind a sheer screen, made the piece interesting to watch. However, as was true throughout the entire performance, the concept overtook the movement. The concept was interesting, however it was communicated not purely through the movement itself, which is what dance is meant to do. Often the minuscule, frantic movements of the dancers felt like filler to the barrage of other artistic mediums being presented in conjunction with one another to make a statement. Throughout the show I felt that dance took a backseat to the choreographers’ concepts, which was a shame given the incredible talent of the dance students performing in the show. It was obvious that they are capable of much more than they were given.
I had very high hopes for the next piece, “Lightmotifs”, as I am familiar with the choreographer, Robin Wilson, founder of the Urban Bush Women. However, the piece felt very scattered, and the meaning was very obscure. It began with 70’s funk music and girls in pajamas with flashlights, moving into the girls singing “You Light Up My Life” which was very surprising and felt somewhat cheesy. It then moved into a more modern/contemporary piece with a lot of repetition in movement (another theme for the evening), finishing with a spiritual song, the only piece in the set that I really enjoyed, although it didn’t seem to fit in to the rest of the set.
Finally, Dance #1 started off strong, very visually interesting with dancers moving fluidly across the stage in all white long-sleeved leotards and white pants, to a light, airy techno-y piece composed by Philip Glass. The dancers moved in staggered pairs, moving from one wing of the stage to the other, doing light turns and glissades, quick movements, then slowing down with the next pair to weightier small jumps in place, spending more time moving across the stage. However, this dance was incredibly long and one-dimensional. Several individuals sitting near me in the audience, myself included, seemed to think it was annoying, funny, and wondered if it would ever end. Several times the music slowed and we thought it was coming to an end, or changing, but instead it kept going, and going… To be frank, I felt like I was on drugs, and I wanted out! And then it ended, without the movement or the music ever changing. I didn’t feel that this was a strong point on which to end the show.
Overall, I was disappointed with the quality of the pieces presented at Dancelucent. However, the concepts were very unique, interesting, and innovative, even though they overtook the show. Less is more. I wanted to see more dancing! The dancers were all incredibly talented, and I wanted the music, the concepts, the costumes, the sets, all to be toned down in order for the movement, what dance essentially is, to be showcased, to speak to the audience.
