Under the direction of Artistic Director Kathy Luo, University Dance Theatre (UDT) has been working all semester long to create 12 performance-ready pieces for their end-of-semester performance.
The dance group is fully managed by students, using all student choreography and dancers. Not only are the choreographers and dancers students, but the lighting crew, costume designers, backstage hands, etc., are all students. The 12 pieces they prepared for the performance varied in style, including modern, contemporary, Folklorico and hip-hop. There was one guest choreographer, an alumni of the dance program, Jose Escobar Lemus, who choreographed two out of the 12 pieces for the concert.
The titles of the 12 works were: Little Miss, Nada muere, si sigue viviendo en el corazón, After Ventus, Workin’ It, Behind That Smile, Dark Curiosity, Tomorrow Forever, Borderline, NUEVAYol, Do It All Together, Mikasa and L.A.T.I.N.O.S.
Post-watching and soaking in what a fun, yet meaningful and new experience of dance it was for me, I want to talk about my three favorite pieces from the show.
Nada muere, si sigue viviendo en el corazón
Come to find out, this would be more of a cultural Folkloric piece, I was really intrigued when the music began. The storyline developed between two women, connected in some way. Whether it was relatives or friends, I couldn’t exactly tell, but what I could say was their relationship appeared to have deep roots and be very meaningful.
There was beautiful dancing as they moved their large, red Spanish skirts side to side, front to back. The main feelings I received through this piece were love and unity. One of the dancers removed a floral scarf she had around her and before exiting the stage, leaving the other dancer alone, she placed the scarf around her like a blanket. The dancer swayed back and forth with this scarf resembling peace and comfort.
Behind That Smile
I loved this one. This was a contemporary piece that was based around one dancer. Throughout the piece, the dancers around her conveyed every emotion possible. The meaning behind the piece was to show what an individual might look like to the outside world, but the deeper reality of what they are truly experiencing on the inside is far different.
Feelings of embrace, anger, coldness, friendship, were all hidden behind the same smile she used to mask herself. As she stood in the middle of the dance floor, dancers moving around her, she was still. It was a clear picture of our emotions going a hundred miles per hour, our external pure stillness and our internal pure chaos. It was a piece of great storytelling, arguably my favorite one.
Do It All Together
This was all-around a very cute dance. There were four dancers dressed as students and their personalities really shined through, not only the dance, but through the costumes as well. One dancer wore shorts, one wore a skirt with a bow in her hair, but they all wore fun blazers with ties.
The dance encapsulated exactly what the song talked about, doing things together. Watching it reminded me of my friends and I getting through these last few weeks of college. Through the last projects, final exams, laughter, stress and everything in between, the joy of going through everything together is truly unmatched. This piece was just a joy to watch. The dancers’ facial expressions and huge smiles absolutely radiated from the dance floor to the audience.
UDT put on a truly amazing show, full of dancers who evidently love to dance. Opportunities like UDT are experiences for dancers to truly grow. Not only are they pushing themselves as dancers, but as choreographers and as managers, putting together a cohesive show. I loved being able to watch ‘Crescendo’ and would definitely visit another one of their shows in the future.
