Dance Club’s fall show, “Human Intentions,” featured the work of ten student choreographers performed by their peers in Cro’s Myers Dance Studio. In the program for the event, club presidents Journee Hardaway ’21, Elisa Kennedy ’21, and Riley Myhaver ’21 explain this title refers to each person’s “individual intention” and was chosen to bring consciousness to how the “idea of intention in relation to our lives…can manifest in our bodies.” They added that, for them, this consciousness includes both distinct physical movements and being aware of one’s own thoughts. This concept can be applied to life in general, but is particularly significant in dance as it is based in conveying emotions entirely though movements rather than words.
The show began with a piece choreographed by Alex Bernardo ’20, titled “Incandescence.” The piece began with a shocking drum-beat that commanded the attention of the audience. The movements of the dancers, who wore bright red and black, remained just as strong as the beat. The dancers exhibited an interesting mix of short, exact movements, and larger, more fluid actions. The next piece was choreographed by Kate Garven ’19 and was titled “Δ.” This piece featured lots of graceful movements and repetition in small groups. The music chosen for this piece was softer and slower, and the dancers wore white dresses. The striking juxtaposition between this piece and “Incandescence,” drew me into the show.
The piece before intermission, titled “and on we float,” was choreographed by Elisa Kennedy ’21, who explained in the program that we all have “somewhere in our lives that brings us happiness and comfort, that connects us to others and is there when we need it”; this piece represents how the ocean is that place for her. To further convey this maritime theme, the dancers wore blue outfits. The piece was danced to two songs: “Coastline” by Hollow Coves and “Featherstone” by Paper Kites. There was a break in the music and dancing between the two songs, during which the sound of waves crashing could be heard and the dancers laid on the floor. This was a superb choice, as their movements were reminiscent of both the fluidity of the water and the tranquility that Kennedy mentioned the ocean brings her. As the second song began, the dancers began to smile and gleefully jump around the stage, clearly feeling the happiness the choreographer wanted to convey. This provided insight into the emotions behind movements and relates back to the overarching theme of “Human Intentions” beautifully. I found this story-telling aspect of the piece made it easier for audience members who may not have as much experience with dance to interpret the meaning of the piece. I also really appreciated that all aspects of the piece – from costumes to music to choreography – directly reflected Kennedy’s own purpose and intention in creating the piece.
Following intermission was a hip-hop piece, “Touch the Sky,” choreographed by Alex Medzorian ’19 and Jai Gohain ’19 and performed to a medley of “Love Lockdown” by Kanye West; “Reborn” by KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Kanye West, and Kid Cudi; and “Stronger” by Kanye West. Though it began in a similar manner to the opening number of the first act – an assertive, attention-grabbing beat – this piece promptly found its unique identity. The choreography and staging were exciting and dynamic. A sole dancer began this piece, but as the song progressed the rest of the dancers entered in pairs and joined the individual on stage, before all dancing in unison. What captured my attention and made this piece so interesting and unique was the brief interlude between songs where each dancer performed a unique dance accompanied by a recording of themselves describing what they believe makes them strong. Then, as Kanye’s “Stronger” began to play, the group came together once again to close the piece with a dance circle. The circle featured individuals and pairs performing their own dances. The decision to structure the dance in this way really called attention to individuals – not just their ability to dance, but also their personality. I enjoyed that this provided me with an opportunity to gain insight into fellow students and reinforced the idea of individualistic intentions that the show was named after.
This dance was followed by another upbeat, exciting piece, “Untitled Note – 1:17 AM,”choreographed by Angelina Annino ’20 to “Babes” by Hockey Dad. This piece was energetic, with the dancers wearing patterned outfits and moving quickly to match the loud guitar and drums heard in the song. At the same time, there was a sense of despair, as the dancers repeatedly sat on the floor and put their heads in their hands. I lost the stated meaning that the piece intended to convey because the emotions conveyed by these movements were so different.
The following dances, while beautiful and interesting to watch, fell into a monotonous and mellow pattern. They directly contrasted the slower tempo of the music accompanying the remainder of the dances in comparison to earlier pieces, which were all modern and contemporary. Given that the end of a long performance was approaching, my focus may have been held longer had there been as much variation in tempo and style as there had been earlier in the show.
This year’s Dance Club Fall show was a beautiful display of the student talent here at Connecticut College. While there were moments in which the energy began to drag and the themes became unclear, they were far outweighed by the plethora of interesting and beautiful moments. Each dance shone through both its choreography and performance. It was clear that this production was the manifestation of this semester’s hard work on the behalf of all of the members of Dance Club. With a theme relevant to everyone — that was highlighted by the different stories conveyed through brilliant choreography– and great variation in both dance style and musical selection, this was truly a production that had something for everyone to enjoy. •
