This week the Meadows School of the Arts Division of Dance presented its 22nd season of the Brown Bag dance series. As always, the student choreographed pieces, ranging from classical ballet to modern to jazz, were full of energy and emotion. “Spark,” choreographed by Rachel Kaminskas, is the first and most visually vibrant piece featuring four female dancers in brightly colored skirts. It’s a fun piece with big band music by Duke Ellington that had some audience members moving their heads and shoulders to the trumpet beats. This was the perfect opening for Brown Bag and set the tone of the show.
“Pass Her By,” choreographed by Jade Curtis, features a female soloist in a simplistic setting with a chair as her company. The music, by Nina Simone, and choreography convey emotions of frustration and sorrow but not depression. The use of the chair gives a sense of security to the female, seeing as this is her partner in the piece.
“Parting Words,” choreographed by Jenny Gillan and Patrick Leahy, is a romantic, very fluid piece featuring two couples and a female soloist. The chemistry between the couples combined with beautiful Celtic-style music turns the lobby stage into a dreamy fantasy that’ll make the toughest man’s heart melt.
“Leave Your Hat On,” choreographed by Cris Cangero, Anne Carter and Emily Vallar, possess a tremendous amount of energy but lacks in emotion. The vivacious music by Joe Cocker, combined with risqué but tasteful costumes and peppy cheer-style movements, make the piece seem like something that would be in a dance competition or on a stage in Las Vegas.
“Ukase,” choreographed by Robert Talamantez, is a modern piece that feeds from its minimalism. The dancers’ everyday clothing nicely compliments the sharp but uncomplicated movements, which are offset by a graceful and flawless performance by cellist Adam Eason. “Ukase” is unique not only for its commonality but also for its fight scene between two of the male performers.
“Afflatus,” choreographed by Joshua Peugh, is a classical ballet with music by Bach. Unlike the classical ballets in previous Brown Bag performances, the women in “Afflatus” wear ballet slippers instead of pointe shoes. The synchronization between the dancers, fluidity of the costumes, and high levels of energy and positive emotion bring a strong sense of professionalism to the lobby stage.
“Vulnerable,” choreographed by Breanna Gribble and Travis Waldschmidt, with sensual bass beats by Tricky, displays the raw, unrelenting emotions of being in a relationship. This piece needs to be seen to appreciate its amazing qualities.
“1237,” choreographed by Caitlin Swihart, has bouncy music and spunky movements, which are complimented by its four female performers and their corresponding facial expressions.
“Descubrir” is a female solo performed and choreographed by Emily Morrow. The Spanish verb descubrir means to search, which is evident through the piece. Her flowing, cloud-like dress and her heart-felt emotion and facial expressions convey grace and beauty.
“Arrival,” choreographed by Ashley Benninghoff and Philip Orsano, with music from “Garden State,” matches the energy levels of “Spark” and brings a magnificent close to Brown Bag. With 13 performers with varying styles of dance and a lot of walking and running, the piece is intended to be “pedestrian,” according to Orsano. He said, “It is something people can relate to.”
Today at 12 p.m. is the last Brown Bag performance in the Owens Arts Center lobby.
