The Many Signs of Dance

Hollie Hutchinson

April 16, 2005

Dance 140

Stephanie Thibeault

The many signs of Dance

"To learn the language of dance, one must perform." That quote is taken from C. Nicholas Johnson, director of dance. In the following paper, I will review the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theater performance that took place April 8-9 at 7:30. I will be reviewing Friday nights performance. As C. Nicholas Johnson said, "In doing so, we hope to encourage personal growth beyond the art itself.

Ever since I heard about the Spring Dance Concert, I was very excited to go and be part of that. For some reason that night I thought I was going to be seeing a Ballet concert. So when the first piece came on "Dear Me" choreographed by Cheyla Cabrales, I was in for a real shock. Soloist Stephanie Davis started the show out with a very modern dance, by doing all her moves by simply sitting in a chair. The audience was then surprised with a outburst of dancers right beside them. All over the room there were breaths that were taken at the same time and complete surround dancing. I enjoyed this piece not just for the uniqueness, but for the music and the openness affect it had on me and the audience.

The second piece, "Warfaring" choreographed by Janice Garrett, was much more different from the first piece. It was much more brighter, the girls wore green dresses, and the music was fiddles and guitars. It involved 4 dancers, but it seemed like more because they were doing so much work throughout the movement. I liked this piece, it made me smile, because the girls had smiles on their faces as they were dancing. They looked as if they could have danced all day and be completely satisfied.

The third piece "Inside Out" choreographed by Nick Johnson, was one of my favorites. "To all my female dance majors...I understand!" That was the quote that was under the piece's title. In my head I was thinking that this was probably going to be a slow emotional dance with soft music. But instead it was very humorous. Nick Johnson was half a women and half a man. The costume was perfect, it was literally haft women and half man. I thought of the act as a "dating" scene. The man being all nervous and wanting the women, but the women showing that she likes him, but making sure he knows that she is in charge. Just writing about this made me have some respect for Nick Johnson. He did a outstanding job entertaining the audience and making them feel involved in the strange courtship.

The fourth piece "Blind Faith" choreographed by Stephanie Theibeault, for some reason reminded me of spring. The dancers came out in everyday dresses, of blue with a pink ribbon tied around their waists. The 4 dancers not wearing dresses, were in capris and a blue silky halter top along with a ribbon tied around each waist. The music was a jazz style with some violin. In my mind this dance was about conforming to the world. The 4 dancers wanted to be themselves and not conform to the girls in blue dresses. But they were swayed and started to join their line of perfection. But then they all realize that they have ribbons, representing that they were all alike in some way. Then there was a couple dance at the end of the piece. To be honest I got a little lost when the couple came out and the group went away. But I assumed that they chose their own world of being with each other.

The fifth dance "While the city Sleeps" choreographed by Nick Johnson, was one that I would say was a little vulgar. The title explains it all, while the city sleeps, things go on and that being bad things. All the dancers were in black, and were dancing to electric guitar music that set the mood of "wildness". They were all coupled up with someone, even girls with girls. The movements were very sexual and very close. In the end the dancers seemed as if they were fighting and wanting out of the relationship they had. But then would go back to them. In the end they were all