Taylor dance students concluded the year with their annual Spring Dance Concert, this year titled “Emergence,” May 1-3. In the first act, pieces ranged from classical to contemporary styles, demonstrating the versatility of both the dancers and the art form itself.
Dance is an emotion-driven and kinesthetic form of storytelling that uses the body as a medium, Amya Floor, a junior exercise science major and dancer, said.
“It’s really neat to explore storytelling and how that changes across those types of genres,” she said. “Classical is so structured, but it still can tell a story very well. ... how you can personalize that to your own method of storytelling within the codification is a really fun experience. And then, for the more contemporary pieces, it’s a lot more individualized and about the personal expression.”
Particularly, “Emergence” leaned into contemporary elements. “Echoes in the Dust” followed, offering a blend of contemporary and classical dance to explore “the enduring imprint of trauma and the resilient journey toward healing,” according to the program brochure. “Take Five” shook things up with a number combining classical styles with jazz.
The dancers’ performance of “Giselle,” one of the most well-known ballets of all time and a significant contributor to the art form’s identity, was an example of blending an original work with originality, Floor, who performed as Giselle, said.
While the choreography largely adhered to the source material, Amanda Browning, adjunct instructor of dance and choreographer who directed the concert, modified the routine to fit the needs and strengths of this particular group of dancers, Floor said.
New perspectives were also contributed by the performers themselves: several of the dancers for “Giselle” either were musical theatre majors or did not have dance minors, so there was a “fun blending of worlds” and sharing of strengths, Floor said.
Other pieces were contemporary by nature while still implementing classical components.
During one such piece, “Shifting Canvas,” Hanna Fritz, a senior creative writing major with a dance minor, shone in the spotlight.
The piece was an original work initially created by Browning for a prima ballerina who had temporary loss of ankle mobility following a surgery, Fritz said.
Fritz performed wearing a silk skirt which flowed across the whole stage, concealing her legs, forcing all focus onto her upper body. The ripples of the skirt as she danced accentuated the fluidity of her movements.
This solo dance was intended to convey the coalescence of art forms and the process of creation, she said.
“I honestly didn’t know how people were going to respond to it, because when I first thought, I thought, ‘I’m just moving my arms a lot. ... Are people going to be bored? Are they going to understand?’ But the response that I’ve gotten has been really remarkable,” Fritz said. “I’m tremendously grateful. I think I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities to perform here, and to create, that I wouldn’t have gotten at another university.”
Act two, titled “The Life We Lead,” was the senior capstone project for Grace Crews, a senior theatre arts major with a dance minor. Crews, alongside fellow dancers, explored the grief and healing process through a mixture of genres.
“I really wanted to focus on experiencing an event of grief and how the healing journey is non-linear,” Crews said. “I really wanted something that would throw audiences kind of off, and I want to reflect that in dancing.”
Each of the dancers contributed an immense amount of time, effort and energy into making this concert possible.
Consequently, Taylor’s dance program has “exploded” in the past several years, more than doubling since three years ago, Fritz said, so there are sure to be more performances to look forward to and more performers to cheer on next year.
