Princeton will be seeing a lot less of BodyHype this fall. Or, to be more precise, Princeton will be seeing a lot less of BodyHype members' bodies this fall. They are trying something new, and this "something new" means less gyrations — and more clothes.
"The costumes are all really aesthetically beautiful," said Vince Faherty '03, a BodyHype dancer and choreographer.
Then he did a double-take: "But would it be better if I told you everyone was naked the whole show?"
Still others tried to be reassuring about what the audience might expect. "We'll all still be in unitards," said Sharon Park '02, BodyHype's president.
The attire is hardly the only different element for BodyHype this fall. They are serving up a change from their usual racy fare. It's a show which isn't just flash and skin, but something that shows what Faherty deems their "more artistic side."
Last spring Park and artistic director Becca Lemme '02 started talking about their vision for the group during their tenure.
"We wanted to test our boundaries," Lemme said. "We're testing both where the company can go artistically and what the campus wants to see."
The result of these discussions was the doubling of the number BodyHype shows, adding shows in November and April to their normal January and May schedule.
For the April show, the group was asked to do a joint performance with the Princeton University Orchestra for a Stravinksy festival. They are pleased with the opportunity to explore that side of dance, Lemme said. But the November show was set aside for BodyHype members to do something different on their own.
"We're not trying to replace what we've done in the past," Park said. "We love doing edgy shows. And we're going to do that in January and May. The November show is just a different side of that."
Their concept was to create an epic show in both size and content. They would produce 10- to 15-minute pieces (significantly longer than their normal sound-byte type pieces) to allow "the audience, dancers and choreographers to get more invested in the pieces," Park explained.
The pieces run a wide gamut in terms of style and content. Only one piece is obviously reminiscent of past BodyHype work.
Another is a classically-inspired piece chronicling the story of an immigrant girl coming to the city. Another involves the story of Sheba, the goddess of the Kama Sutra, and is evocative of both Hindu culture and William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
The music ranges from the soundtrack of "The Beach" to Sarah Brightman and Madonna to Violent Femmes and an Indian techno track.
As dissimilar as the pieces appear to be, they are all loosely based on the concept of "Standing in Motion," also the title of the show.
"That theme is the unifying thread, but each choreographer has their own interpretation of what that means for them and for their piece," Lemme said.
But the changes don't stop with the pieces. BodyHype has also decided to try something new by importing a professional group from New York City for the performance.
They said they hope the company — Jette Performing Company — will maintain that edgy flavor for which BodyHype itself has previously been well known.
So, in this performance, BodyHype is not so much changing as experimenting and growing. "We're just taking what we have an expanding on that," Park said. "This is a big year for BodyHype."
In addition to the show, Jay T. Jenkins, the director of the Jette Performing Company, will give a master class for dancers of all skill levels in the Dillon aerobics room from 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday.
BodyHype
"Standing in Motion"
Richardson Auditorium Nov. 16-17 (609) 258-5000Read More
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