The Meadows dance ensemble performs “The Rite of Spring” during a dress rehearsal before the show opened on Friday, April 12, 2013. (Courtesy of Meadows School of the Arts)
As much of the student body walked around Bishop Boulevard on Saturday for Relay for Life, many other students, faculty and Dallas natives found their seats in the Bob Hope Theater for the Spring Dance Concert.
The show began with a traditional ballet, originally preformed in 1967, titled “Valse Fantaisie,” which featured Aubry Neal and Alex Druzbanski. Clad in ephemeral tutus, the female dancers showed synchronization and control while exuding elegance.
The second piece in the Spring Dance Concert stunned, as Raven Ross and Dexter Green created beautiful lines with their extensions and bodies in a duet from Adam Hougland’s “Watershed.”
The pair seemed to fill the stage, entwining their bodies to create graceful and serene shapes.
The three-day concert was unique this year in that it premiered two new dances: SMU dance professor Danny Buraczeski’s three-part “In the City” and the world premiere of Joost Vrouenraets’ “The Rite of Spring.”
“In the City,” featured 15 students in a fun, colorful jazz routine.
“Let’s go kids,” Danny Buraczecki, the choreographer, said as the curtain rose.
The performance was split into three complimentary dances, each with their own personality and backdrop.
Both the first and the final episodes featured exuberant jumps and partnering, while the second relied on stillness and more subtle movement to match its quieter tone.
Since the middle piece required a high level of synchronization, it became very obvious the few times the dancers were off time but they quickly fell back in step to complete the piece.
After the intermission, the jewel of the concert, the newly commissioned “Rite of Spring” routine, was performed for the first time.
Set among movable glass houses, the 21 dancers on stage, clothed in local school uniform plaids, embraced the aggressiveness that exemplifies the ballet’s essence.
Originally performed 100 years ago, the ballet created riots in the audience due to its untraditional and modern format and style.
“It’s impressive that after all this time, the dance can still move people,” sophomore Marcella Lupski said after the performance. “Art is supposed to make you feel and this made me feel uncomfortable.”
The new choreography is eerie, as the dancers contort, heave and blankly stare at the audience.
The strength, power, and flexibility shown by the dancers in Vrouenraets’ piece are unbelievable, especially from Adrian Aguirre, Veronica Phillips, Hattie Haggard and Megan Cotton.
“The Rite of Spring,” along with the other three routines, will be performed with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra at the Meadows at the Winspear gala on May 1.
“All of these dances showcased the top notch physicality of the dancers,” sophomore dance major Natalia Perea said.
