By Jake Pellegrino - Staff Writer What is language? What is communication? These were questions that constantly popped into my head while watching the Spring Dance Concert in Adams Playhouse.
The concert forced me to question what I knew about communication and how we use it. Normally, to communicate we use our words, sometimes our hands or even facial expressions. However, we rarely use solely our bodies to communicate. Of course you’ve heard about body language, but that usually complements our speech and focuses on one part of our body.
The dancers in the concert, however, used their entire bodies and no words to tell a story. It showed that language is not restricted to these forms because unlike other forms of communication, dance does not need to be translated in order to be understood – all you need to do is watch.
The concert was broken up into five acts, each with the goal either to tell its own story or simply show a theme to invoke emotions in the audience. For example, the first act, entitled “From the Ether With Instinct,” didn’t have a specific story but I felt it transported me to the ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll scene complete with an air guitarist.
However, the next act, “Kindred,” had a different story to tell. It had a jungle-esque theme and reminded me of the world of “The Lion King.” It told the story of several members of a community coming together to revive another who had fallen ill.
Next was “Through-Bound” which I found very relaxing as it took me away to the ocean, then “Caruggi.” I found this to be the most visually moving of all the performances and it made me feel as though I was riding in a gondola in Italy.
The show ended with “Trance-form,” which gave off an intergalactic feel that was complemented by its video screen that helped to make the audience feel as though they were actually in space.
The best aspect that all five acts had in common was that the music and dancers really connected to each other. In other words, it often seemed as if the music was asking a question and then the dancers were answering. This call and response feel kept me engaged throughout the performances, allowing me to follow the performers as they spoke through their dance.
Members of the dance department’s faculty directed all five acts. Each act showed the power of the department and the collaboration that went into it between students as well as with faculty.