SoC has a certain, inimitable way of doing things. Isolated movements, stylized choreography, lots of sex appeal, a slightly awkward but fun intermission dance contest, and the obligatory chant ("S-o-CEEEE!") reverberating through the auditorium, make it impossible to mistake an SoC show for anything else.
"Element," the group's end of semester show, took the best of SoC and brought it to the next level by taking some subtle artistic chances. The show retained SoC's natural sexiness, fast paced and impressively coordinated choreography and unrivaled enthusiasm while abandoning some of the group's more predictable aspects. SoC stepped it up and sampled from old and new to redefine the elements.
Under the direction of senior Henry Myint, "Element's" 20 dances ranged from fast-paced and stylized modern moves, to step, ballet, and even the can-can. Some dances even went so far as to get a little interpretive. This semester's selection turned away from the temptation to rely on dependable and formulaic choreography and instead made an artistic reach to create some beautiful and innovative ensemble pieces.
In "Midnight Thirty," choreographer Myint combined powerful and dynamic music with bold lighting and well placed marionette-like synchronized dancers. The result was a fluid tableau that went beyond a well practiced routine to artfully express the choreographer's visual interpretation of D. Rob's "Clubbed to Death."
Another highlight was junior choreographer Liz Sutton's "Fever." Set to Peggy Lee's inherently sexy song, backlights silhouetted seven snapping ladies all clad in oversized men's dress shirts. The sultry ambiance was that of the famously sassy "Cellblock Tango" from the musical "Chicago." The piece slowed down the pace and left all the men in the audience panting.
Senior Tyler Duckworth's "The Bongo Song" also made an impression. Duckworth's choreography showcased his own ridiculously uncanny gift for precision high kick dancing. The can-can number featured some serious flexibility and playfully interpretive 1920s flapper costumes.
Audience participation is a key element in any SoC production, and it often provides some of the show's most memorable moments. This semester's intermission dance contest was one of those moments when all of the competitors where shamelessly shown up by Precious, an unusually confident and talented five year old girl. Shaking her tiny hips in innocent flirtation, Precious may have been the show's most inexperienced dancer, but judging by the roar of the audience, this tiny dancer definitely stole the show.
Carefully considered costumes and elaborate lighting played an important role in giving each dance its unique sense as well as ensuring a dynamic and forward moving program. Costumes ranged from overalls and straw hats, to circus masks, to metallically shiny wrap-arounds. The show's soundtrack proved to be just as diverse featuring artists including Janet Jackson, The Gypsy Kings, Notorious Big, and Britney Spears.
Unfortunately, so many combined factors require an enormous amount of technological coordination, an aspect of live theater that rarely runs smoothly.
While the performance quality went unmatched, the show's technical glitches and significant down time between numbers took away from the overall experience, at times leaving the audience restless.
Thanks to difficulties in the production booth, the show got off to a late start and even left dancers in the second act's "Senior Dance" without music or lights.
Fortunately, they took it from the top and in traditional SoC fashion, the dancers and the audience fed off of each other and kept the energy electric through the three hour long performance.
