I'll admit it: I was the little girl who quit ballet in favor of piano.
In my time at Princeton, I have tried to retrace my steps and understand the art of dance. Unfortunately, my dance-viewing experiences thus far have always fallen short of my hopes - that is, until I saw diSiac's spring show, "Possession," running this weekend at the Frist Performance Theatre.
In four years, I have accumulated a variety of grievances regarding most dance performances on campus. For one thing, I have always wanted to tell the co-ed dance troupes to figure out better moves for their guys. The large skill gap between the female and male dancers can be pretty obvious in some shows. Second, can we try to diversify the song choices a bit? And I know you spend most of hell week trying to polish the pieces, but the effort is less than obvious when they come out sloppy. Finally, I hate it when I can figure out which one of dancers is the choreographer. Yes, it's you: that person whose dancing is clearly more on the beat than anyone else's.
I was pleasantly surprised, then, when "Possession" allowed me to cross many of these grievances off my list before graduation.
Many times, dance troupes allow music to emote for them, but even sitting in this sparse preview audience, I could feel the energy radiating from the company. The lighting design was at usual standards, and the choice of music was good.
None of this should come as much of a surprise to anyone who has seen a diSiac performance, though I wasn't sure in the beginning, when the show started off slowly. I also wondered if the pieces might have been improved by having fewer dancers on stage at some points. Precision movement is generally not a problem for the company, but too many dancers can dilute the effect of the choreography. And I would have also appreciated more diversity in the song selection.
Fortunately, "Possession" is not short of standout pieces. In "Here is Waldo," choreographed by Jess Baylan '08, an all-male group of dancers portrayed football players bullying a single dancer dressed in a striped Waldo shirt. I could erase my first grievance: no gender-based skill gap here. The macho fight choreography translated surprisingly well into dance.
In "Big Brother," choreographed by Alexis Morgan '10, the precision was so good that I could cross off my third grievance. Tightly choreographed to string-quartet music, the piece didn't need hip-hop music to drive it, like the work of so many other dance groups seems to.
"Ourisha," choreographed by Kahina Haynes '11, brought a different tone midway through the show with its samba-inspired music and choreography. If anyone is wondering whether the company risks losing good choreographers with graduation coming up, this piece proves diSiac won't be disappearing anytime soon.
In fact, after watching "Possession," I doubt diSiac will have trouble filling its empty spots next semester. After all, this is prefrosh weekend.
4 paws
Pros: Cleanest dress rehearsal I've ever seen.
Cons: Starts off slowly but builds up. Fewer dancers on stage could have helped a few of the pieces.
Read More
Princeton Zoning Board of Adjustment approves renovations to Tower and Charter Clubs
Sena Chang and Isaac BernsteinOn March 27, the Municipality of Princeton’s Zoning Board of Adjustment approved construction developments for Tower Club and Charter Club. Renovations for both clubs are aimed towards improving accessibility.
On March 27, the Municipality of Princeton’s Zoning Board of Adjustment approved construction developments for Tower Club and Charter Club. Renovations for both clubs are aimed towards improving accessibility.
Students support local businesses with new platform Zage
Jack AllenAfter hearing about the struggles faced by a number of these restaurants after students left campus in mid-March, Dilbagi created Zage, an online platform that allows community members to send money to local businesses now to redeem as credits on their purchases in the future.
This fall, go beyond the 'Bubble'
Dora ZhaoEven though classes are picking up, weekends are the perfect time for students to escape the Orange Bubble. While going out to eat on Nassau is enjoyable, there is so much to see beyond Princeton. For those looking for a day trip or a chance to explore the area outside of Princeton, here is a list of ideas to do this fall.