Creative Contrast

Dance draws its energy from the tension between the contrasting states of motion and rest. This weekend, the YaleDancers present a vibrant, dynamic show based on those principles of contrast.

The performance features a broad range of styles set to classical, country, and techno music. The segments flow into one another with an ease that makes the most unconventional pairings appear natural. The painfully stark, bluesy "You Have to Change" (choreographed by Alyssa Rapp, DC '00) follows the electronic pulse and stylized motion of "Liquidity" (Elana Aquino, SM '00), and the classic ballet steps performed to lilting strings of "Some Things Never Change" (Trisha Anderson,

SM '98). This programming works because the variety of these pieces makes each one stand out. You could complain about a lack of continuity, but it's likely that you'll be too busy applauding, watching in awe, and wondering what these dancers will do next.

Some of the evening's most interesting moments occur when dancers and choreographers explore the contrast between individual and group. The show's opening number, "For Learning," choreographed by Jenny Lagerquist, PC '99, begins with a large group of dancers onstage, moving in almost perfect synchronization to Tori Amos's "Crucify." As the piece progresses, their movements become less uniform, until the stage virtually explodes in motion. By the end, the dancers have returned to a conformity that now seems stifling and oppressive. " Marked in a Region of No Origin," by guest choreographer Frances Ortiz, meditates on the pressure to conform and the individual's desire for independence. Dancers writhe in unison, while a single figure emerges from their ranks. The dancers convey a sense of weight and heaviness, as if they were constantly drawn towards the floor and towards a state of rest. When the soloist rejoins the group, the relief is palpable.

Other dances present a fragile balance between intimacy and isolation. "Memory of Intimacy," choreographed by Justin Garrick, SY '00, begins and ends with a couple lying on the floor, their bodies curled around one another. Accompanied by slow, exotic sitar music, they move with and around each other, twin parts of a single organism. Eventually, the pair separates and draws together again--but instead of interacting, they reflect one another's movements. Upstage, a second couple pursues a more ambiguous relationship, repeatedly coming together and separating. While this piece expresses a delicate purity, it feels long. Its simple, restrained motifs do not sufficiently compel the audience's attention.

"Loquacious," choreographed by Christina Burnett, LAW '98, and Katherine Profeta, DRA '99, explores a similar theme with greater success. Burnett and Profeta play off a highly rhythmic accompaniment, creating interesting visual statements while maintaining originality and simplicity. They dance as mirror images, breaking in and out of synchronization, building in complexity and tension as the speed of the accompaniment increases. The piece resembles a frenzied encounter between a person and her reflection.

In their fall concert, the YaleDancers demonstrate their versatility, performing a variety of styles and themes with conviction and an impressive technical proficiency. By the show's conclusion, none of its contradictory elements have been reconciled. Instead, the audience is forced to recognize that dance, like emotion and human relationships, has no single definition. In the space between conflict and resolution, individual and other, simplicity and complexity, art is born.

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