Fusion, a collaborative concert between the dance department and the Bob Cole Conservatory of music came to fruition on Friday and Saturday nights.
The show definitely built up to its best and last performance, Rebecca Lemme’s “Disarm.” Described as recognizing the cycles of violence in the press release, this piece was haunting and frightening. This dance took full advantage of the spacious Carpenter center, sending dancers into the isles at some parts of the dance, creating a sense of being surrounded.
This, along with the bright stage lights and fog created an eerie invasion vibe. The musical composition, inspired by John Adam’s “Harmonielehre,” paired very nicely with the modern dance choreography, being both diverse in sound and exciting to listen to.
The penultimate dance, Keith Johnson’s restaging of his piece, “The Green is the Unraveling” was beautiful and emotional. Having previous knowledge that this is a tribute to four dancers who passed away from AIDS, the connection and relationship between the four dancers on stage was powerful and impactful.
The contrast of dancers’ soft, eloquent interaction and disjointed, rigid movement created a visually stunning and diverse piece. However, the title of the piece and the growing green box projected onto the screen at the back of the stage was confusing, and seemed unrelated to the dance and overall theme of the piece.
The experience was both visually and sonically gorgeous; however, the concert started off surprisingly odd. The beginning overture, Wagner’s “Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes,” was beautifully played, but since the orchestra pit was basically under the stage, it was awkward sitting in the half-lit Carpenter Center for 10 minutes with nothing to look at, except the tops of musicians’ heads.
The opening dance, “Set-up,” directed by Rebecca Bryant was disjointed and confusing. The performance started with a woman coming on stage to explain the different angles dancers would capture with video cameras during the dance as the footage was displayed on the screen at the back of the stage. The woman said this creates the effect that “the audience could be anywhere.”
But the audience was not anywhere; it was in front of the stage, viewing a jumble of dancers. The technique was there, but there was lack of consistency in the choreography, and the sporadic music of Julia Wolfe’s “Tell Me Everything” made it hard to really sink into the piece.
If the nearly sold out showings are any indication, the concert was an overall success. However, the rocky opening perhaps makes the concert not worth it to the casual arts connoisseur.