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REBECCA HALE
Reverb Editor
Orchesis presented “Evolution” this past weekend, its Fall production, and between dynamic group pieces, small ensembles and a variety of genres, it was a show which pulled on the heartstrings of all viewers, myself included. The show included 12 pieces in total, with some modern, hip hop and ballet, though most pieces were interpretive and contemporary.
The venue for the show was the Fredonia High School auditorium, a change which was implemented last year. Before that, Orchesis shows were held in Mason Hall or in other locations on campus.
“With all of the renovations going on in Rockefeller, it’s extremely difficult to find performance spaces,” explained Tess Grosvenor, a junior double major in public relations and BFA dance and president of Orchesis. The decision was made to move Orchesis shows to the high school after many complaints that audience members couldn’t see without auditorium seating.
From each piece, it was clear that Orchesis is an extremely diverse group. It felt like watching an individual production for each piece, since each number was different in lighting, costume and vision. Since Orchesis is a student-run group, all pieces were choreographed by students, with the exception of one: Each year, it is an Orchesis tradition that a guest choreographer is brought in to create a piece. This year it was Joseph Corallo, a Fredonia alumnus.
“Orchesis choreographers always do a good job with variety, and I think that’s what makes Orchesis special,” Grosvenor said.
“What I’m definitely seeing with this show is people from so many different departments on campus, and now we have grad students involved,” added Sierra Bedient, Orchesis vice treasurer and a double major in theater arts and math. “It just brings people from all over the campus to one place, and it’s so good to see that.”
After talking with a few choreographers, it became clear that they all cared deeply about their pieces, and had invested all of their passion, sweat and tears into perfecting them. Since many of the pieces were contemporary and open to viewer interpretation, the production proved different for each viewer.
It was easy to establish a deep connection to the dancers, as their raw emotion was portrayed both on their faces and through their movements.
The second piece, “Lulla-bye,” choreographed by Victoria Howell, felt like a narrative, and was a beautiful ballet-style dance in which the dancers used ribbons as props. The dancers tore the ribbons from their hair throughout the piece, tossing them to the floor. At the fin, one dancer picked up the ribbons and held them in her hands as if they were flower petals, then let them fall to the floor as the stage lights darkened and her form became a silhouette, center-stage.
Photo by Kyle Vertin
“Slipping Away,” set to the popular song, “Say Something,” was overwhelmingly powerful. Bedient explained the thoughts behind her choreography:
“I lost one of my really close family members at the beginning of the year, and I got to see her a month before she passed away, but there’s always more that you want to say, and that’s what inspired me.”
“Someone doesn’t have to pass away for you to lose them,” Bedient continued. “They can already be gone and you still want to tell them things.”
“Slipping Away” was a piece that portrayed all different types of loss through duets and partner work.
“Each duet is representing something different, but the rest of the group is doing things behind to show that life still happening while they’re trying to reach that moment,” Bedient said.
After the piece had ended, I was sobbing in my seat, and the rest of the audience was applauding uproariously.
The next piece was “Chandelier,” set to a stunning version of the popular song of the same name by Twisted Measure A Capella. The track made the piece, with beautiful harmonies which allowed the audience to fully immerse themselves in the contemporary dance.
The mood was lightened with the next piece, titled “The Perfect Wife,” set to Meghan Trainor’s “Dear Future Husband.” The piece was fun and upbeat, and seven female dancers clad in ‘50s-style attire strutted onto the stage with brooms, dusters and other props.
Another notable piece was Corallo’s piece, “The Slant,” which began with the audio of a slam poetry piece by Ani DiFranco of the same name, which segued into Jeff Durand’s “Undeniable.” DiFranco’s words about feminism were hard-hitting, and the vision was reinforced by the all-female cast of dancers. Bedient described the genre of the piece as “aggressive ballet.”
Dancers entered the stage wearing animal print attire and face paint for “Awakening,” choreographed by Na’Keisha Barber and Kevin Gleason. The piece was fun, but had an animalistic tinge to it, as dancers repeatedly pushed each other to the floor and around the stage in a dog-eat-dog fashion.
The auditorium heated up when Grosvenor entered the stage to perform her jazz trio, “Fever,” to a cover of the famous song by Beyonce. The backdrop glowed crimson, and each dancer wore a sexy red crop top with black leggings to match the mood of the sensual dance.
The final piece was the most colossal, and it was a clear audience favorite. Cheers and hoots were audible throughout “Cooler than Latch,” choreographed by Mads Goc. There were 15 dancers in the cast, all notably clad in unique hip hop outfits that seemed to have come straight from the ‘90s. Every dancer had on a pair of suspenders, which glowed in the dark when the lights were dimmed, and the moving straps were the only thing visible onstage. The piece was the perfect finale to the production, as it was both impressive and upbeat; audience members couldn’t help but to groove along in their seat to the hip-hop vibes.
Alex Bahgat, a junior exercise science major at University at Buffalo, came to she show to watch Goc perform. She explained that this isn’t her first time, as she’s attended every one of Goc’s performances since they became friends in middle school.She said that her favorites from this show were “ImPossible,” choreographed by Chelsi Campbell, and “Cooler Than Latch.”
“I’m always super impressed with Orchesis,” she said.