DANCE Powerful pieces punctuate lovely formal evening

Poetry, music, dance and horticulture find common turf.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- The auditorium at Fellows Riverside Gardens Davis Center was transformed into a primeval forest, as dancers from Ballet Western Reserve depicted nature through classic ballet, tap, and other genres, against a backdrop of plants. The audience experienced what a day in a rain forest might be like, without the intrusion of people, machinery, and technology. With a couple exceptions, most of the music had a tribal, primal feel, percussive with driving rhythms.
Each piece was preceded by a poem, written and recited by local actress Jane Hill. "Keith [Kaiser, horticulture director at the gardens] gave me his ideas as a few key words for each dance," said Hill. "I also wrote down my thoughts, then fine-tuned them after I sat in on a dress rehearsal and watched the dancers, and saw their costumes."
But she also said that her memories in the Peace Corp, in the jungles of Ecuador, influenced the strong images she created through her poetry, which set the stage for each dance.
The first dance, "Dawn" was classic ballet, choreographed by BWR artistic director Anita Lin. The dancers were dressed in beautiful tones of gold and bronze, simple tights and flowing skirts for the ladies, as they gracefully moved to the exquisitely beautiful "Meditation" for violin and piano by Massenet. Mikel Lewis and Victoria Ramm's duet included lifts, which added to the elegance and romance of this very professional performance.
The peaceful sounds of morning gave way to the power of water, as the dancers interpreted this element through jazz, choreographed by Pamela Reeping. The tribal, African-sounding music provided the driving rhythms for this joyful, high energy dance. The dancers, in tights and blue smocks combined angular movements with grace in this very enjoyable piece.
"Fire" overpowered the flow of water. Hill's poem began by describing fire-colored flowers of yellows, orange and red, but quickly moved to the destructive aspects of this element, which then gives way to new life. The dancers, in flaming colors, were no longer joyful, but driven, forceful, in this high energy hip hop choreographed by Jennifer Schuler. This expressive piece began slower, with a fast middle section, ending with the dancers lying on the floor, as the thunderstorm quickly moved to extinguish the flames.
Mixing it up
"Rain" was depicted through tap, choreographed by Tracy Schuler. Thunderstorm sounds were intermingled with the slow, bluesy taps and stomps of the dancers, as the power of water once again took dominance. This emotional and angular piece included complicated tap rhythms, as the sounds of the forest were resurrected from the flames.
"After the Storm" began with the dancers entering from all corners of the room, wearing black robes of death, in memory of all the fire had destroyed, yet holding candles for hope of new life. The dancers quickly shed their capes to reveal bright blue glimmering skirts. Joy returned to the forest through a lively Irish step dance, choreographed by Brendan Trewella. He and his sisters, Ashling, Brigid and Molly, joined the others for this energetic and vigorous piece.
The freshness of "Spring" was interpreted through ballet, choreographed by Lin.
The dancers wore classic tutus in shades of corals, pinks and yellow. This joyful, graceful, and lovely piece began slow, with an energetic fast section, danced to the music of Georges Bizet.
The performance ended with a modern piece called "Night," in which Hill's poem included the creepy crawlies she remembered from Ecuador. Hanging sculptures provided by Tom Cvetkovich, whose works are on display at The Butler Museum, added a unique dimension to this dance. Karen Westerfield choreographed this dance, which included the dancers' interaction with sculptures.
This was a spine-tingling piece, tribal, primal sounds of the forest filling the room, the sounds of animals and insects, mysterious and mystical. The sculptures, (holographic plastic used in the manufacturing process of products which have holograms in their packaging), reflected a rainbow of colors, but as it grew darker, shone in eerie shades of blue and green. The music stopped, and the dancers continued in silence. As the music began again, they danced a ritual circle, perhaps symbolic of some ancient rite. The performance ended with a standing ovation from the large audience.
The professionalism and excellence exhibited by the dancers and teachers at BWR was truly amazing. This was an awesome performance, preceded and followed by social hours, with food, music and Latin dancing.