Rarely do 400 Tufts students in a room on a Saturday get rowdy and excited without the aid of alcohol. But at this weekend's Tufts Dance Collective (TDC) spring show, subtitled A Perfect 11, the spirit of the dancers energized an already boisterous crowd. The result was a performance in Cohen Auditorium that was captivating, lively, and truly a perfect 11.
The show began with two video clips explaining that 'A Perfect 11' meant turning the performance up a notch. And turning it up a notch was exactly what the TDC dancers did. The show had a more polished feel than in previous years when it was held in the informal Jackson Gym setting, and loud energetic music and superb lighting effects enhanced the great choreography.
The show seemed like a competition between the dancers and the audience to see who had more enthusiasm. Even before the show began, the crowd was wild and screaming, and the loud music only caused students to get more excited. But once the house lights dimmed, the dancers took the spotlight, exhibiting a playful spirit that made the show seem like it was about just having fun with dancing and music.
An early highlight was the fourth dance, "Colorblind," choreographed by Heather Barondess. Dancers dressed all in black with colorful scarves around their waists moved gracefully to the Counting Crows song with ballet-like movements. The expressionistic moves fit the music perfectly, and dance was well-executed, each person moving in sync with each other.
Though "Colorblind" was meant to be mellow, the next dance, to Smashmouth's "I'm a Believer" was one of the most energetic numbers of the show. The dancers jumped on and off the stage, onto and around each other, and bounced around like they were just there to have fun. The dance moves, choreographed by Dave Friedman and Rachel Richards, went from looking like swing, to a do-si-do square dance, and concluding with a Rockette-style chorus line.
The ninth dance, to Alicia Keys' "How Come You Don't Call me Anymore" was slower and more expressive than some of the hip hop numbers, but the passion exuded by the dancers made it one of the gems of the show. The dance captured audience members by beginning with five girls on stage in the dark, and by the time the lights went on and the rest of the 20 dancers came on stage, the audience was lost in their moves. Each of the dancers seemed inspired by the music, and they executed the moves so that every arm extension and leap was expressed perfectly. The ending with five dancers on stage in red light was a nice way to frame the piece.
After the intermission, "Rhythm Nation" featured some of the most creative choreography of the show by Sean Bjerke and sophomore Carolyn Whitten. The number began to with "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" from The Nutcracker and featured pairs in which one person appeared to pull the other's marionette strings. The dance quickly switched to a Janet Jackson song, and karate-like moves were just one of the unique ways in which dancers bounced to the music.
"Run to the Water," choreographed by Emily Dixon-Ryan and Frances Shafir, was a graceful dance to music by Live. The performer's costumes of black with shimmery teal skirts around their waists, and a large blue cloth across the stage to represent water set the mood for the piece. Waving the cloth over the dancers who rolled on the floor, and then higher in the air, added to the already expressive moves that made the audience feel captured by the aura of this dance.
Though the entire performance was energetic, that spirit reached a peak with the final dance, "Walk this Way." The dance, choreographed by Kelly Dutton and Amanda Miller, featured performers with an attitude. They wore jeans, white shirts with red star designs, and red bandanas, and danced as if they owned the auditorium.
One of the best part of the show was the variety of the dances. From a tap number without music to guest performances from Sarabande and TURBO, A Perfect 11 featured a wide array of techniques and styles, and the creativity with which each style was choreographed and executed was impressive. But each dance had one thing in common: the energy of the dancers. This was the aspect of the show that was most enjoyable, as no audience member could help but get revved up by the sense of excitement that pervaded the auditorium.
