photo courtesy of www.academics.alma.edu/theatredance

Ed Klonowski performs his piece, Wax On. Klonowski tap danced, which was one of the many genres of dance show-cased at the concert.

ACDC showcases various styles and talent of dancers at Spring Concert

KEVIN BRADY

Staff Writer

Over the weekend, the Alma College Dance Company ignited the stage, performing their spring concert at the Heritage Center. It was an eclec-tic show with styles ranging from tap and jazz to ballet and modern. Both students in the company and profes-sionals choreographed the dances.

The show opened with Back to Bach, which first debuted when the Heritage Center originally opened ten years ago. The Dance Company dedi-cated this piece to all of the dancers who have graced Alma College. The style and manner was classical and colorful contributing to the positive vibe given off from the dancers. It was well chosen as the introductory piece of the night.

Chicago, choreographed by seniors Bree Brownlee (04) and Lauren Giordano (04) was then performed. It had been a success at the student show, which is one of the reasons it was performed once again. Due to its mature content, signs were posted at the ticket booths to warn parents who may have brought young children. “This is definitely my favorite dance because it is very sexy and hot,” said Travis Kohl (04). Chicago has been a fan favorite since the first perfor-mance in the winter show.

Following this, dancers performed to a rendition of Michael Jackson’s Come Together. This piece was fast paced and exciting, and was in part choreographed by Glenn Douglas Packard, who has worked with such artists as Usher, Mya and Whitney Houston.

One of the top features of the program featured Ed Klonowski (05). His tap dance featuring the hit, Wax On, electrified the stage. He also choreographed the number, and had performed it in the student show once before.

The ten graduating seniors per-formed a dance together called Day-light. It celebrated the four years of work this group has put into the dance company, and had a very cheerful and positive energy surrounding it.

The mood darkened quite a bit during an emotional part of the show that portrayed the life (and death) of writer Sylvia Plath. The Edge was choreographed by associate professor of dance Carol Fike, and beautifully performed by senior Amber Nash (04). It was a touching, interpretive style of dance which included the mu-sic of Spiegel im Spiegel. This part of the program also included voices and images of little children that added to the sensitivity of the meaning behind the dance.

Other parts of the program fea-tures included the classical Brahms Interlude, Paquita, and the Grand Pas de Deux. The Brahms Interlude featured the two dance pairs of Giordano and Klonowski, and Carey Rademacher (06) and Glen Brylski (05). The four dancers performed with style and grace attributing to the classical aspect of ballet dance.

The show was an overall success and a pleasure to watch. It combines the seriousness and relaxing aspects of dance that catches the eye of the au-dience. All dancers and those behind the curtain deserve much credit and praise for the amount of work they put into this year’s spring concert.

Top