When Michelle Crank '01 was struggling to find a creative outlet this year, she found the perfect solution, alternating between hiphop and ballet, jazz and tap, in the oldest Princeton dance troupe, Expressions. Crank explained, "I felt as though a big part of my life had been missing for my first two years at Princeton because I wasn't dancing."
Crank and other creative and talented undergraduates like her will be performing with Expressions in their spring performance, tomorrow and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Wilcox Black Box.
This outlet remains both a source of fun and applause for the members of this group, which was founded in the early 1970s, shortly after women were first admitted to Princeton. The group was originally coed and men are still welcome to audition, but is currently an all-women's group. The group invites guest male dancers to perform when the pieces require it.
Both Expressions' versatility and playfulness come through in their spring show. A lyrical jazz number to music by Sarah McLachlan displays the dancers' fluid extension. In a piece choreographed to Joe Cocker's "Feelin' Alright," the dancers play with humor to reveal the spunky personality behind their group.
A Paula Cole number conveys a slinky jazz feel and emphasizes very sensual movements and intricate partner work. A hip-hop piece performed in tennis shoes, as opposed to the usual ballet or jazz shoes, shows off the dancers' skillful athletic maneuvering.
The dancers even manipulate clever props to exhibit their stage attitudes in a piece set to music from "Evita".
All of this variation comes entirely from the minds of the Expressions dancers.
The company is an entirely self-run student organization. Expressions receives no monetary help from the University — all of their budget for theaters and costumes comes from revenue from ticket sales and program advertisements.
Moreover, the Expressions dancers each bring a different dance background and stage personality to the group.
When the group holds auditions twice a year, members first put Expressions hopefuls through a ballet-style warm-up to observe their technique and then follow with jazzier routines and improvisation to see auditionees' performance quality and stage personality.
The result of this selection process is a troupe of dancers who are all both well-trained and creative, each able to contribute something distinctive to the group.
All Expressions members are allowed, and in fact encouraged, to try their hand at choreography. Though the group occasionally brings in guest choreographers, most of its pieces are choreographed by the members themselves.
"We trust our dancers and we give feedback," Expressions president Abby Teich '01 said. "Usually everyone choreographs at some point in their Expressions career."
Unity
Despite the diversity of styles that results from this freedom to choreograph, most of Expressions' pieces have a similar focus — the unity of the dancers. This focus on the group distinguishes Expressions from the University's modern dance program.
Krysta Svore '01, who has been involved in both Expressions and the modern dance program, said the University department "focuses on modern choreography and improvements in composition and style," while Expressions is more a group of people with a common love for dance who want to share that love with audiences.
"We are a group who love to entertain and perform and play around with new styles and music. We want to spread our love for dance and the arts to the people of the Princeton community," Svore said.
Company co-vice president Amanda Brandes '02, who has also participated in both groups, said, "I think that the dance program has a very different basic philosophy than most Expressions dancers. Expressions is made up of mainly balletand jazz-trained dancers, so there is an emphasis on turns and leaps and extensions . . . showier moves."
"The modern dance program here is . . . more about how you as an individual approach a dance and understand it yourself, and less about how well you perform it for others," Brandes added.
Passion
The lifeblood of Expressions is the passion of its members for quality dance performance and choreography of all kinds.
"[Being in Expressions] has been a great chance to choreograph and learn a variety of dance styles. I have gained confidence through performance, improved as a dancer, and met many neat people over the years," Svore said.
"It has been an essential part of my Princeton experience," she added.
Crank echoed Svore's enthusiasm. "Expressions has been one of the most fun things I've done since I've been at Princeton," she said. "I've met some fabulous, creative people who love to dance as much as I do, and who love to learn from and teach one another."
"I think the audience is going to have a blast — the choreography is all so much fun to perform, and it'll be contagious," Crank added.
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