Over the weekend, the Cal State Long Beach College of the Arts and Department of Dance showcased the 2014 CSULB Contemporary Dance Concert.
The pieces presented brought a diverse and exciting evening of dance, featuring original choreography by CSULB undergraduate choreographers, Daniel De La Rosa, Jessica Egbert, Megan Guise, Katie Marshall, Molly Matutat, Joebel Medina, Bradon Olsen and Melissa Sennewald.
There were two acts, comprised of eight dances that drew upon a wide range of dance styles, musical inspirations and artistic collaborations.
The first dance, “Fix…Re-fix,” was a modern dance trio inspired by everyday relationships and used intricate and passionate movements choreographed by Brandon Olsen. It was highlighted by an original composition by CSULB student composer, Jake Abernathie, and performed live by cellist Cole Syverson. Like the dance itself, the music was very somber in tone, effectively instilling a feeling of struggle between the dancers. It was a well done opening, which set a high standard for the rest of the show.
Jessica Egbert presented a collaborative work that had initially started as a composition assignment and later evolved into the piece performed on stage.
“The Audacity to Be Both Wise and Naïve,” a duet choreographed by Egbert in collaboration with Kelly Attwood and Marielle Richardson, looks at the power struggles in relationships and the challenges of choosing when to take a stand and when to move on. Egbert and Attwood had amazing chemistry working off of each other. The score did a nice job setting the tone but was ultimately forgettable when watching the two dancers work their magic on stage.
“We started working back in September on the piece and have spent countless hours in the studio rehearsing, even coming back to school two weeks early over winter break to work on it,” Egbert said.
Egbert said that the show was a product of team effort; the choreographers were constantly supported by faculty, stage designers and stage techs.
“It was so amazing to have to opportunity to put work on stage and have the support of the faculty in the department of dance,” Egbert said.
The last performance of Act I, De La Rosa’s “Silence is Silver,” explored and challenged the idea that men are expected to suppress their feelings.
The vocal cues and context-sensitive movements were spot on. When one dancer expressed his emotion, either anger or sadness, the others rushed to his side to mask or scrutinize him. Through the dance, emotions built up, escalating to a climatic fight between the men followed by the calm presented in the beginning. The lighting effects on stage and the varied sound of the score further contributed to the anger the dance represented. It all worked together to create the calm before a storm effect that was unique to this dance.
The last dance closed the night on an exuberant note. “Tappin’ Out,” co-choreographed by Marshall and Sennewald to an original score by Brian Wood, offered an eye catching display of four tap dancers’ individuality and unrepressed energy.
Watching each dancer gave the illusion of four separate dances on stage. Using chairs as stage props, they began dancing on top of the chairs and passing them around each other smoothly without missing a beat.