Dance Production: Myths, Tales, and Fables
In the right hands (or feet), the ability to tell a story can cross the seemingly insurmountable boundaries raised by culture, language, or religion. The morals, ethics, and life lessons learned from the myths and fables of our ancestors still ring true today, and seeing them brought to life in the art of dance was a spectacular sight for all.
“Hit me with a hot note”
Choreographed by Denise Gibson, Artistic Director, this piece was a high-energy welcomed return from intermission, and sets the tone for the fast-paced second act. Centering around a group of sailors meeting a group of women, the wardrobe, hairstyles and dramatic lighting perfectly capture a vintage theme.
“The Seasons Dance: The Tale of Demeter and Persephone”
Featuring dramatic narration, this dance does a beautiful job of visually displaying the Greek myth that explains the changing of the seasons. Kiana Soriano as Demeter and Emily Part as Persephone had the best on-stage chemistry. Both are graceful in their own right, and watching them long for each other as a mother and daughter was akin to watching the natural ebb and flow of the ocean.
“Animated Love”
Christopher de Piazza and Cassandra Godinez are department store mannequins brought to life at closing time. Their spirited and complex steps were the building blocks that led to daring lifts that were expertly executed. The vigorous, yet playful nature of the choreography perfectly conveyed the need to express your emotions while you can.
“A World of My Own”
In this “Peter Pan” retelling, Emily Part plays Wendy and absolutely commands the stage. Every movement, deliberate or otherwise, caused responses from the supporting dancers. Choreographed by Christopher de Piazza, it’s very evident this routine was created with Part’s strengths in mind.
“Red Shoes”
A single strip of stage light is cast over a line of brilliant red sneakers, an aesthetically pleasing signal to the audience that this dance will focus on fancy footwork. A more modern piece, this routine gave the audience a break from storytelling and was just about having fun. This dance was performed by members of the Pierce College Dance Crew.
“Chasing Time”
Also choreographed by Denise Gibson, this was the final dance of the first act. In an attempt to portray the chaotic universe of “Alice in Wonderland”, the stage had simply too many moving parts for the audience to focus on. And yet, with so much going on, perhaps the most iconic figure from the fairytale, the Chesire Cat, wasn’t involved in the fray. The song of choice to accompany the dancers was “Mad World” by Gary Jules. The song itself quickly became a cliche in the early 2000s and its use in this performance gave a very blunt reminder that this was a college performance.
