On Saturday, October 20, 2012, the Frostburg State UniversityDepartment of Theatre and Dance had their final Fall Dance Concert performance.
Stripped of make-up and costumes the hour long show focused on the purity of
movement and the body’s ability to express emotions without words. Director, Jamie McGreevy with the FSU Dance
Company: Elisa Daniels, Kiara Harvin, Alexandra Rowles, Yui Matsuzaki, Amy
Milligan, Caitlin Moore, Kayla Drew-Ann Stocks, Jordan Kline, Henry Newby,
Mariah Goldring, Niki Newcomb, Leak Becker, Maddie Bohrer, and Samantha
Flowers, amazingly moved through eight works of dance with no intermission. A
true test of human endurance and stamina the concert flowed like a well written
story. Alexandra Rowles, senior performer studying Elementary Education, said “I
hope the audience feels what we are feeling up on the stage. I also want the
audience to really connect with the movements.” She is in five out of the eight
pieces in the show, and practices four days a week. She explained, “The
rehearsals were a lot to tackle on top of regular dance class and my school
work.” The performers’ dedication to their art is what turned the show into a masterpiece.
“RAW”, the show opening piece, broke away from the
norm when dancers provided lighting with flash lights for Samantha and Jordan.
As they danced, the audience could feel the brooding conflict. Brittany Kidd, a
non-student local from Ellerslie, Maryland, said “I can feel their torture. It’s
like they want to be together, but can’t, or know they shouldn’t.” The show continued
with “HURT” and “UNTITLED” that delved into emotions of pain and insecurity.
Rowles shared, “There are no costumes or crazy lighting, so this will be what
the concert is all about.” Next, spectators got a taste of hope and joy with
the piece “FIGHT FOR IT, REJOICE IN IT, OUR HOLD ON LOVE”. Choreographed by
Caitlin Moore, senior performer and Pre-Med major, she provided the audience with
an intricate piece of art. Encompassing a variety of dance styles, the piece built
up to a joyful climax of Afro-modern dance supported by leopard print lighting
that left the audience wanting more. Kidd said, “I wanted to get up and
dance, too. This was my favorite one.”
The final five ensembles: “3”, “JUST FOR ME”, “THREADS….”,
and “LIBERATED BITTERNESS”, each offered their own unique layer to the
performance. They moved with a pure and natural grace that expressed human experience.
From the sensual and sexual “3”, to technical grace of “JUST FOR ME” the
dancers allowed the audience to experience their emotions through their dance. “THREADS”,
choreographed and performed by Jamie McGreevy, added the use of props to covey
a story. With three lamps and a chair, on lookers were mesmerized by McGreevy's
simplistic movements. Kidd explained, “It was like a lullaby, like
rock-a-bye baby, sweet but creepy.” One piece of art can mean many things to
different people, and though the dance was clear each person seemed to think
the story meant something different. Kiddcontinued, “For me it made me think
of my friend, and how she’s trying to stop smoking because of her heart. I don’t
know what the dance meant but that’s what I thought of as I watched it.” The
show ended with “LIBERATED BITTERNESS”. A true spectacle of human ability
filled with leaps, turns, and a non-stop flow of dancers encompassing the entire
stage. Six weeks of planning, creating, and rehearsing came together for only
two nights of performance at this year’s Fall Dance Concert. It was a true
triadic experience that ended too soon. Luckily, the FSU Dance Company’s Spring
Dance Concert, coming to us May 10-11, 2013, is only a winter away.
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