“City Dance” fall workshop 2011 pirouetted itself into the hearts of the audience.
“City Dance” is a showcase of Fresno City College dance and choreographs majors. It was held on Friday Dec. 2, Saturday Dec. 3 and Sunday Dec. 4 in the FCC Theater. This showcase displayed the artistic talents FCC dance majors possess.
It consisted of eight different dances ranging from lyrical hip hop, to modern, to jazz. Each piece was directed by a different choreographer, which brought to the stage a variety of emotions, music and costumes. Since this is a unique performance, each piece will be critiqued individually and in order of the how the performance progressed.
“Bare” choreographed by Lina Regalado was a lyrical hip hop mixed with modern dance steps group piece. The costumes, a modern day masquerade ball, were captivating. The beginning of the dance started well however, it seemed to lack crispness and uniformity.
When the dancers were performing together they seemed to be off the beat, almost a second behind the music. However, there were several dancers that shined during the performance.
Their lines, movement and fluidity were astonishing. But overall, it felt lackluster and under performed. Perhaps it was due to merely opening day jitters. It was clearly a poor choice for an opening number. Rating: B-
“You Are My Alligator” choreographed by Ashley Allen and Carmen Kuykendall was a contemporary couples piece. The dancers’ emotional performance was moving. You could actually feel the series of emotions they were portraying on stage – love, pain, anger, longing.
The choice of music matched perfectly to the dancers’ movements and emotional connection. It captivated and held the audience’s attention. “You Are My Alligator” was a wonderful 180 degree pivot from the opening number. Rating: A
“Monster” choreographed by Arjen Perry was a high energy jazz group piece. The dancers and costumes looked as if a monster or zombie attacked them – torn, bloodied and dirty. The music by Lady Gaga was the theme of the dance.
The dance had a high octane vibe. It was very much like controlled chaos. The dance steps were fast, crisp and attention grabbing. “Monster” was my favorite performance the entire evening. Rating: A+
“Dishes” choreographed by Zachary Garcia was the only all woman’s contemporary dance. This was the best transitional dance, it had a definite beginning, middle and end. The costuming was confusing at first, but by the end made complete sense. The idea behind the choreography was brilliant and was executed well.
The dancers’ had whimsical expressions on their faces which added to the overall performance. The lines, positions and movement across the stage were graceful and elegant. Overall it was a great piece. Rating: A
“Humana Mediocritas” choreographed by Megan Condley was a contemporary single couple performance. This piece was formed around the use of a scarf which signifies an addiction. This dance had many lifts that showed individual trust, strength and grace.
The performance was enhanced by the emotional expressions on the dancers’ faces. It was such a beautiful and captivating dance that I found no flaws within the performance. This piece reminded me something you would watch at a professional recital. Rating: A+
“If You Only Knew…” choreographed by Amanda Tannous was a group jazz piece. It was another high energy piece highlighting certain couples for a short amount of time. Since there were a large number of dancers, the position of couples and smaller groups around the stage was critical to allow the eyes of the viewer to move from one side of the stage to the other.
This piece executed that need well. I found myself scanning the entire stage throughout this piece. The overall message was a bit unclear, but the action, great performance and music overpowered the vagueness. Rating: A
“The Eternity Project, excerpt” choreographed by Amy Querin was a very unique style of dance, almost a mixture of contemporary and Indian influences. It was quite a long piece of work which consisted of several transitions and change of emotions. This piece required the audience to have an open mind and heart to a different point of view.
The choreography was absolutely astonishing and interesting. The dancers transformed into their defined roles with ease. They had breath taking lines and movement. Expressions were not seen due to the fabric they wore over their faces for the costumes.
I give credit to Amy Querin for imagining this routine and to the dancers who performed it well. However, personally, I didn’t care for the subject matter. Putting that aside the overall performance was very professional. Rating: A
“Finale” choreographed by Jimmy Hao (artistic director of City Dance) was a mixture of dance genres that included the entire company of “City Dance”. It showcased certain dancer’s talents while the rest of the company added depth to the performance. The dancers used the entire stage making it seem full, almost bursting at the seams. The “Finale” was an exquisite ending to a well rounded showcase. Rating: A
Even though I have critiqued each dance, I have the utmost respect and awe for the dancers and choreographers of “City Dance”. It takes an extreme amount of confidence, self belief and technical training to perform as these dancers did.
I was pleasantly surprised with the level of professionalism displayed on the FCC theater stage. Congratulations to the City Dance Company for gracing FCC with a rich and cultural experience.