'Not just a sex piece,' dance confronts the norm

You remember the signs plastered all over lampposts two weeks ago. In blazing blue they proclaimed "diSi-Sex," and left you wondering. This weekend, the dancers make good on their promise. You sure can't claim false advertising.

"City Life," by far the sexiest piece in diSiac's spring show, "Liberation," going on this weekend at Frist Theater, is a well-choreographed, risque romp for the dancers on stage, but that's not all.

"It's not just a sex piece," artistic director Micah Carr '03 is quick to point out, "It's more like with every move, the dancers are asking 'can you handle my sexuality?' " However the audience interprets it, they will want to join in.

In true diSiac form, "City Life" does have a deeper story line. Choreographers Hana Ginsburg '04 and Mike Chokr '01 tell the tale of Princeton students who decide not to follow the mindless droves of investment bankers and pre-medical students after graduation. By the end of the piece, these students have come to self-realization, both sexually and in their careers. They see that breaking away from the norm is sometimes the best path.

Giselle Woo '02 submits her take on breaking away from comfort zones in her piece titled "It's All There." Here the choreography portrays dancers experimenting with unfamiliar types of dance.

In a group as large and diverse as diSiac, which boasts ballerinas, professional tappers, break dancers, hip-hoppers and a few martial artists for good measure, sticking with only what you know means losing the opportunity to learn something new.

"The idea of the piece is that the ability to break out of your own style is there if you learn from and integrate the styles around you," Woo said.

Coco Stiff '04 and Suzanne Bermann '04 exemplify the more traditional ballet background found in some diSiac members. They chose to choreograph a "funky pointe" piece to Moby, in which they showcase that training, but they throw in a few of their own twists on the traditional. Their partners, Garo Hovnanian '04 and Chokr, lift them at odd angles, reminiscent of modern dance.

At one point, the two men turn away from the ladies, who unabashedly race after them and drape themselves around Chokr and Hovnanian.

"We tried to capture the dynamics between chaos and uniformity in dance," co-choreographer Stiff explained.

The opposite end of the diSiac spectrum appears in "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble," a hilarious hip-hop piece by freshman Tommy Mandecki '04, set to a mix of songs including the N'Sync's "Bye, Bye, Bye." Tommy is one of the more recent additions to diSiac, auditioning in the fall of 2000 with no prior dance training. The piece is his first work of choreography.

"I wanted to try something a little different and touch base with a much more general MTV audience," he explained. The piece successfully combines smooth moves and acting on the dancers' parts, and the audience won't be able to ignore how much fun the dancers are having on stage.

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That same sense of enthusiasm returns in a piece co-choreographed by the company's president, Bonnie Lau '02 and Carr, who is artistic director. "Scandalous" is a hip-hop number using only female diSi-dancers to a song by Lil' Kim. It's edgy, the choreography is sharp, and every dancer turns up that ever-present diSi-attitude to the max. The whole package is polished. Carr points out that she intended the piece to be a statement from the diSiac ladies: "I wanted to show that "hardcore" doesn't have to be masculine, and that the ladies of diSiac can do more than just modern or ballet."

All pieces in the diSiac Spring Show make strong statements about the company and its dancers. The diversity of the group is apparent, but at the same time, their energy and the vibe of having a great time brings them all together. Gallant Nien '02, a long-time diSi-dancer, points out the common theme and explains why the show is called 'Liberation'.

"Basically, many of our pieces this semester are about forms of liberation — social, gender, self, sexual — and our medium of expression is dance. DiSiac is about creating art and having fun, and to us, dance is what's ultimately liberating."

DiSiac performs in Frist Theater tonight, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. and Friday at 8:30pm. Tickets are $6 witha PUID and $10 general admission. Go by or call Frist box office at 258-1742 to purchase tickets.