BAC's 'Survival of the Illest' flashy, but falls short

This weekend, BAC dance brings its spring show, “Survival of the Illest,” to the stage. Featuring high-energy numbers and oozing sex appeal, “Survival of the Illest” is a fun, flirtatious showing from BAC. Unfortunately, many pieces in this show fail to push the envelope artistically, and an overuse of the theater’s lighting capabilities keeps “Survival of the Illest” from fully engaging audience members. While not a tour-de-force performance, “Survival” has several bright choreographic moments.

Although “Survival of the Illest” takes a little while to warm up, dancers really bring the heat in the third piece of the show, “Survival of the Fiercest.” Choreographed by McKenzie Dawkins ’14, this piece showcases seven of BAC’s female dancers. Set to a soundtrack of hip-hop singles by female artists, including “Lose My Breath” by Destiny’s Child and “So Much Betta” by Janet Jackson, BAC’s ladies create a piece that is sassy, sexy and precise. The girls transition seamlessly during formation changes, often coming back to a central pyramid that draws the eye to individual soloists. These dancers all seem comfortable on stage and in their movements; as the girls break out for solos, they never lose confidence or performance quality. Dawkins’s choreography is one of the best moments of musical interpretation in the entire show, and her dancers use everything available to them — song, movement, expression — to deliver a great performance.

Unfortunately, certain visually appealing elements of “Survival of the Fiercest” become overused tropes over the course of the show. BAC falls back on formulaic formations and moves in many of their pieces, including pyramid structures and floor gyrations. “Survival of the Illest” features pyramids in several pieces. This artistic choice unfortunately takes away from the creativity of the choreography as the formations grow stale. In addition, BAC’s females bring major sex appeal to the stage in the all-girl pieces, but certain suggestive moves lose their punch after appearing in more than one piece.

BAC’s men freshen up “Survival of the Illest” in “Spit Your Game,” choreographed by David Chen ’13 and Ethan Leeman ’13. A humorous video filler entitled “The Pick-Up Artiste” introduces this piece. The filler follows three awkward male dancers as they transition into veritable Princeton studs. These men take the stage in “Spit Your Game,” an all-male piece that ups the ante for the rest of the show. Songs including “Bad Girl” by Usher and “Poetic Justice” by Kendrick Lamar set the sensual, energetic tone for this piece. BAC’s men commit to every aspect of this dance — the moves are tight and together, and they engage the audience easily.

While these pieces are excellent examples of BAC’s full potential, the company often sells itself short by choosing lighting that distracts from the choreography. Green light changes to orange light in an instant, and often the light dims to the point that one can barely make out outlines of the dancers on stage. While silhouette lighting can be an attractive choice, in this case, the inability to see the dancers’ faces disconnects them from the audience. The lights also black out during pieces as dancers change formations, which breaks up the continuity of each dance. Rather than adding to the artistry of the pieces, the lighting unfortunately detracts from the audience’s ability to enjoy the show.

Despite these challenges, “Survival of the Illest” finishes out on top. The show’s final number is arguably its best, as three groups of BAC dancers battle it out for top-dog status. Songs from Busta Rhymes, Iggy Azalea and Meek Millz pump up the energy as groups bring their all. All three groups come out on stage to end the piece, displaying BAC’s impressive numbers and collective talent. The finale showcases what we have come to expect from BAC —innovative and exciting choreography set to dope beats.

While “Survival of the Illest” is not perfect by any means, BAC’s talent and passion for dance is undeniable. Despite lighting distractions and choreographic tropes, the dancers’ commitment to the pieces energizes the audience and allows the show to finish out strong.

3.5 out of 5 paws.