Franklin Pierce University, Rindge, N.H
2009 Dance Concert Review

So-called modern dance is a difficult genre to be preformed at any university, let alone Franklin Pierce. With dance companies, theatre schools and more prestigious colleges snapping up the most talented dancers, choreographers and theatre managers it stands to reason that a relatively unknown institution such as ours would be at the bottom of the metaphorical food chain as far as talent goes. With this in mind I was therefore slightly sceptical about attending the Franklin Pierce Winter Dance Concert. Overall though, its fair to say I was presently surprised by the quality of the performances. There were a few flinch worthy moments of course, but also some amazing and very talented appearances that made the former barely noticeable.

The concert was held in the warehouse theatre, a simple location without pomp or flair but this was in some ways appropriate as the darkness helped accentuate the simple moves of the dancers. The first dance to be shown was the very French Avec la Gauche, choreographed by Wendy Dwyer. Beginning with a group of dancers dressed in a European style with berets and black summer dress, running across the stage dragging behind them roller suitcases and choreographed to catchy French music it was snappy and feisty dance with some very clever moments. The girls behaved as if they were waiting for a train, criss-crossing the stage and miming meeting each other. There was a brilliant moment where they lifted the bags above their heads and pirouetted, then lay down with the bags on their chests. Unfortunately the overall effect was hampered by a severe lack of timing among the performers that rendered parts of the dance almost unwatchable.
The mood changed with the next dance, Shell. This was much darker, the music more trance-like. Making use of modern lighting techniques the stage was flooded with a green glow aimed through the blades of a rotating fan. Unfortunately the dancing itself was mainly of a lower quality and this really impacted the piece. Though I may sound like a image obsessed chauvinist the following has to be said: If a dancer is overweight to the point where she is audibly out of breath, something is wrong! Also the choreography was for me too erotic, the performers were forced to drape themselves over each other in a slightly unsettling fashion and it made the whole thing slightly unnerving.
Following Shell came Armee de Plastique. The performers were dressed in all black except for bunny-tail like pink ribbons tied to their bums, and this simplicity really worked to extenuate their movements. Set to music by Moby the dance itself had the girls moving mostly as if mechanized, stiffly but then suddenly fluid. I found myself really enjoying this piece and its simplicity.

The next dance however was very poor indeed and lived down to being called simply Untitled. The girls were good dancers, have no mistake on this, but their consumes didn’t mach and were in many cases too small which gave them a slightly comic appearance. The choreography was boring which was hardly mediated by some slick lighting, and the music was unmemorable.
If I have shown the low point of the concert then I am about to show the high. First Sight, a so called work in progress for later projects, was stunning. Utilizing just two performers it began with (and please forgiving me if I’ve muddled the two girls up) the brilliantly talented Gabriella Aufiero, who for me stole the whole show, sprawled on the stage and contorting herself slightly in moves similar to that of the dancer in Pearl Primus’s Strange Fruit. The lighting was very simple, as was her costume and the two played off against each other perfectly. Suddenly Ms. Aufiero was joined by the almost as good Amy Dilks and the two performed a world wind of spinning, almost ballet-like, movements that culminated with Ms. Dilks spinning Ms. Aufero around the stage by a simple red ribbon tied around the latter’s waist, controlling her movements through this as if it was the leash for a dog. This dance was completely brilliant and I have no complaints, save for the fact that the two young women performing it should consider looking for more prestigious appointments in the world of dance.

The finale of the concert was the maddening The Haunting. I use this verb because in the roughly 15 minutes it ran it soured and plummeted with both very high and low points. Though it was slightly too long it employed impressive visuals by having the lead dancer backlit by a black and white movie of a house and cast iron gate that I found slightly chilling but VERY edgy indeed. The dancing was both brilliant and drudgery, the best part being a walze conducted by four couples, each carrying a large lamp between them. Unfortunately one had failed to work so the whole image was lost slightly.

So, in just one hour the school Theatre and Dance department has shown us the best and the not so brilliant, showcasing some real talent but illustrating the areas where more work needs to urgently be done. Overall I’d say I was very impressed and even pleasantly surprised, and will hope to see further concerts in the future.