YSU Dance Ensemble concert showcases talents, dedication

The show offers a variety of styles, moods and music.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- The 2005-06 Performing Arts Series at Youngstown State University comes to a close as the YSU Dance Ensemble presents its annual concert. Choreographed mostly by students, the performance offers something for everyone, not only in dance styles, but in moods ranging from humorous to etheric. It also showcases some wonderful talents and the dedication of the students.
Thursday's performance began with an experimental piece choreographed by Erianne Raib called "Bang!," in which dancers created rhythms with their feet, drumsticks and large plastic pipes, reminiscent of the touring sensation "Stomp!" But what made this one even more interesting was Raib's use of black light. The sticks, shoes and stripes along the pipes were painted in bright orange, creating a fascinating feast for the eyes. And the strobe quality of the lights gave the effect of slow motion photography -- the images of the sticks became like fans moving around in the dancers' hands.
Raib, who specializes in tap, did a solo improvised piece, called "Improvography," in which she also interacted with the audience, talked to the spotlight, and added some humor, as she wowed the audience with her virtuoso feet.
Brandon Martin, another highly talented tapper, created his own music for his cool and funky piece called "Heart Beat." Dressed in baggy pants and lots of chains, Martin fired up the crowd with his athletic and energetic moves.
Going back
The audience got a taste of the '40s in a group-choreographed piece called "Hep Cats." Set in a nightclub, the dancers jitterbugged to the music of several modern swing bands in this very entertaining performance.
The concert included a number of modern dances, each with a distinct and different emotion. "Blindsided," was choreographed and danced by Tarra Morgan. Dressed in a primitive-looking costume, Morgan used a combination of modern and ballet movements to create this very beautiful and expressive piece.
Next came the sensual and sultry with a Spanish flair. "Las Mujeres de Pasi & oacute;n," also choreographed by Morgan, was performed by Angela Kleese, Rebecca Sobinovsky and Holly Terrell to the music of La Hasa. Sobinovsky choreographed a large group number with lots of movement across the stage called "Ado" to the music of Seal. She also joined with Terrell and Amanda Lewis to create and perform a joyful dance called "Sundays," which featured live guitar music of Blake Drennen and Jim Kusiowski.
New look at 'Imagine'
John Lennon's song "Imagine" got a whole new take, as performed by A Perfect Circle. Lennon's optimistic and dreamy lyrics became dark and angry, as pictures of war and poverty were projected onto the back curtain. The dancers' movements were expressive and aggressive in this very interesting piece choreographed by Lewis.
"Emergence," choreographed by Morgan, was a beautiful, etheric dance, which depicted a metamorphosis, the unveiling of a being in a cocoon of pink-beige chiffon. This mysterious and mystical work was danced to the music of John Debney.
The concert ended with a humorous dance, choreographed by ensemble artistic director Christine Cobb, called "The Galloping Gourmets." The dancers, dressed in comical black and white trousers, black aprons and big white hats, depicted the false faces chefs put on to the judges at a competition, and the cat fights that ensue in the kitchen. The stage was strewn with various egg beaters and spatulas as the curtain closed with laughter and applause from the crowd.
XThe performance continues tonight at 8 at Ford Theater, Bliss Hall, on the YSU campus. For tickets, call (330) 941-3105.