New diSiac generation pushes limits with tough themes, varied pieces

For diSiac company members, the theme of their upcoming show, "Becoming," means more than just being a takeoff of the popular MTV series.

Since this year will be diSiac's first without any of their six founding members, the new company leadership has been stepping up to fill the void created by their absence. DiSiac has come into its own, "becoming" a larger, more technical and more diverse company, while maintaining the familial atmosphere that its founders fostered.

In its upcoming shows this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, diSiac will be portraying the theme of "Becoming" not only with clever video clips similar to MTV's show of the same name, but also with a lineup of dances expected to push the boundaries of diSiac's company and audience.

"We feel like kids whose parents aren't home," said Coco Stiff '04, a member of the company.

While respecting the basic tenets founded by diSiac's original members, the company created a show with styles ranging from "hardcore hip-hop" to "cheesy lyrical" to " '80s funk pop" to ballroom dancing, says company member Erica Hahn '04.

The show opens with the company dancing in unison, dressed in camouflage, progressing to a finale with a variety of different costumes and dances — representative of diSiac's progression as a company with new leadership and new members.

"Every time something's on stage it's going to look completely different from what was on right before it," Hahn said.

The show tackles several unusual themes, such as domestic violence and social labels and stereotypes. One dance, "Womb," manipulates female partnering to explore the relationship between mother and fetus. Along with these serious themes are lighter subjects, including a dance to a Garth Brooks song and the usual "sex dance": "pure, hedonistic entertainment," as Stiff puts it.

This number is part of the goal of the show to elicit a response from the audience and "shake things up," Hahn said. DiSiac's leadership hopes the audience will be challenged to appreciate the artistic aspect of the show, while enjoying the fun of the sensual dance.

"We sometimes fall into the cliché of college-age sex appeal and I think we're much more than that," Hahn said.

As diSiac grows in talent, size, fan base and presence on campus, the 37-member company also maintains the atmosphere of community and family that the six founding members treasured.

"More than anything, we don't want to lose that," Stiff said.

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This year's five new company members feel the legacy of those who came before them, even though they may not have ever met diSiac's founding members.

"A lot of people impacted the company so much. Coming in their wake, you feel the presence of the founding members," said Silas Riener, the only new male member this year.

Because diSiac draws its members from a variety of campus clubs and organizations, the company is made up of a dynamic group of performers with varying dance backgrounds. For diSiac, stretching company members' abilities is always a goal: dancers are encouraged to perform in dances that force them to strengthen their weaknesses.

"We never typecast," Stiff said. "We're always pushing ourselves and our boundaries."

The time-consuming schedule, similar to that of a varsity sport, never fails to mesh the company into a tight-knit group.

Last Sunday, known as "Hell Sunday," marked the first day of the crazy week counting down the hours until diSiac's first performance of the fall show at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21. Rehearsal Sunday lasted from noon until 2 a.m., and for the rest of the week the company will be practicing over six hours a night in preparation. The intensity of this week is topped by an extremely demanding performance schedule: 8 p.m. Thurs-day, 7 and 10 p.m. Fri-day and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday.