Passion, commitment and artistry.
Elon Dance Program’s new motto propelled the group toward opening night of the "Dancing in the Black Box" performance Nov. 8. Four faculty members and four dance majors choreographed the eight individual works in the dance program’s main stage fall performance.
Each work’s music, costuming, lighting and choreography emitted a different emotion for the audience to interpret as their own. Some were dramatic while others were witty and comical.
“It evokes something from the audience and it could be different feelings from every person,” said Jen Guy Metcalf, artistic director for the performance. “Every choreographer started off with an idea or a story and they leave their interpretation up to the audience.”
What audience members saw when the lights lit up the stage was visual emotion. In small sets, 33 dancers jumped, slid, crawled, rolled and fought across the stage. Some of the pieces evoked sympathy for a specific dancer as she moved slowly and thoughtfully through the routine. Others were moving so wildly it looked like they would trip or stumble, but there were close to no errors throughout the entire performance.
One emotion that was examined in almost all of the pieces was an abstract aggression. In several pieces the dancers threw punches, kicks or elbows while others delicately avoided the blows.
This type of abstraction is common in Elon’s dance program as well as others across the country, Metcalf said.
Comedy, on the other hand, is not seen too often in dance. The two are rarely meshed into a single performance, but "Dancing in the Black Box" included two works that successfully, and purposefully, produced laughter. They were light-hearted and fun to watch, especially after intense performances in which dancers spun around each other like dueling tornadoes.
Students had the chance to choreograph or perform for the show. The dancer positions were open to all students and majors. Metcalf said the show had dancers from freshmen to seniors and their majors were not always dance.
No matter what their background, this experience will help the students further develop their skills, Metcalf said.
“It’s good for them because it’s a professional level performance and we’re training them to be professionals out in the dance field,” she said.
The students were able to showcase their work to the Elon community and Metcalf said she is proud of the work they have done. The high level of dancing and choreography seems to have surpassed expectations, she said.
“I think it's going to be better than they could imagine,” Guy said about the audience. “The people who have seen it come and they sit there and go, ‘ Wow. This is so much better than I’ve seen in a lot of college dance programs. It’s like a real dance company.’”