Dance Performance Shines

By Broadside Style Writer Sarah Buchanan

David Parsons’ choreography proved accessible to dance viewers at the Center for the Arts on Saturday, February 28th. As their mission statement reads, the Parsons Dance company is “committed to creating American works” and fulfilled that claim by wearing blue jeans and dancing to Miles Davis and the Dave Matthews Band. More so than popular music choices however, audience members unanimously appreciated moments of Mr. Parsons’ choreography that were creatively simple.

The first gem by which I was struck was a woman’s waltz solo embedded in the piece Swing Shift. The dancer gestured sharply to the music, establishing the beat, and then continued to play rhythmically with the music. The staccato movement paired with the smooth waltz and stark lighting created an effective and touching image of a woman caught in the necessity to make an important decision or discovery about herself.

Hand Dance was exactly what it sounds like. With a trick of lighting, only the dancer’s hands could be seen, and they cleverly moved to a fast paced musical arrangement of American folk tunes. 10 pairs of hands played air fiddle, grabbed at each other, and mimicked the movement of line dancers. At each idea that seemed to pop up among the group of hands, the audience laughed and anticipated the next game. Hand Dance was simple and fun.

Caught is a piece that every dance enthusiast should see, and I felt privileged to have finally seen it live. Like Hand Dance, this work also requires a trick of the light. For the exciting bulk of it, strobe lights catch the dancer in midair, making it look like he’s flying across the stage. Sometimes it’s amazing, for example when the dancer leapt four times with different increments of a backwards arch, appearing to have done so all in one jump over a suspended period of time. In other moments it was funny, like when he boastfully walked across the front of the stage, hovering a couple feet above the floor and grinning because by this time, as usual, the audience was gasping in awe. While some of David Parsons choreography only blends in with the modern dance scene, I think this piece is a testament to a highly creative and humble way of thinking.

The George Mason Dance Department is proud of their former student Billy Smith whose smooth moves are already familiar to Center for the Arts audiences. It was a pleasure to see him again, this time in a professional capacity with the Parsons Dance Company, a very prestigious and promising first job out of college. He looked right at home with the rest of the talented company, whose facility of movement served to make the dynamic choreography work.

Costumes and lighting were typical of a modern dance concert. Scrims were kept colorful, and costumes were tight fitting and for the men, shirtless. My favorite costumes at first glance however looked heavy and debilitating, but as the dancers moved and turned they billowed out in surprisingly pleasing ways that lent extra flow to the piece Swing Shift.

Overall, David Parsons has an excellent dance company and a few interesting ideas. The evening’s performance was enjoyable and uplifting.