In a change from past diSiac performances, which seemed to highlight "wow" moments based purely on feats of technique, "Borderlines," the company's latest production, tells a much more interesting story about the threshold of the psyche: The place where the boundary between the senses and the intuition is blurred. It's an exploration, in other words, of the place where art is created.
The performance opens with "On the Fringe," choreographed by Jennie Sirignano '10 and Jeffery Kuperman '12. Making use of the Berlind Theatre's professional-quality stage lighting, the piece begins with a front-center spotlight, providing a successful transition into the piece's intimate setting: a speakeasy. The choreographers make good use of this setting by contrasting ensemble, couple and solo work; It's a piece that showcases the technique of individuals and the quality of the ensemble in turn. Simple red and black costumes provide unity in a choreography-rich piece and don't take away from the speakeasy spirit. The dance is clean and professional and showcases some risky and well-executed partnering sections.
In "Specter," by Adam Zivkovic '10, Sarah Fingerhood '11, dressed in ghostly white, plays a social reject. She moves in and out of the blue-clad ensemble, and no one acknowledges her presence. At the beginning, piano music plays, sounding fuzzy and old like a scratched record. During the next part of the piece, the dancers move in unison, and the music becomes electronic and robotic. The choreography reflects this, seeming to represent the cold, unfeeling side of human nature refusing the "specter" any warmth or welcome. As she struggles on the fringe of society, we observe the border between the ordered and the primitive, the threshold of cold modernity where we hesitate before giving ourselves over to primitive instincts.
"DesireSacrificeReality," by Carlo Frem '12, is a creative interpretation of the concept of "inner demons." The ensemble drives the soloists to despair by forcing them to face their insecurities. The actual characters appear as cameos, and the ensemble - the demons - is the focus. Here we face the delicate boundaries between dream and reality, between confidence and insecurity. The pivotal moment of this piece is at the end, when the three characters are in separate spotlights. The demons lurk in the background and then approach the characters, seizing them and dragging them off into the darkness.
Perhaps the most riveting piece in the show is Kuperman's "A Fading Reminder." The opening of the piece is hypnotic, as Chloe Markewich '12 materializes out of the darkness of the audience, joining Kuperman in a pas de deux in the spotlight at the front and center of the stage. The couple's sensuous movement carries them toward the back of the stage and away from the point of Markewich's entrance. The piece ends as Kuperman reaches one last time for Markewich, who looks back and then exits from where she entered, dissolving again into the darkness of the audience. The couple's enchanting chemistry is noteworthy, since diSiac often relies more on technical feats than on this type of expression. That's not to say there aren't plenty of exciting moments in this piece; they are just integrated into the choreography rather than standing alone.
The show has its weaknesses as well. Though the choreography and technique are both excellent in "POL 114: American Interventionist Diplomacy" by Alexis Morgan '10 and Brian Jeong '11 and "I Wish I Could Be There" by Shawn Cruz '10, both pieces suffer from a heavy-handed approach, relying on outside media instead of movement to make their points. Cruz' message about the causes of grief in our society is admirable, but it is made too explicitly; the words projected onto the backdrop detract from the dance itself. In Morgan's piece, recordings from President Obama's speeches are especially distracting. In these cases, the transmission of politics through art is more cliche than innovative.
Luckily, the rest of the show tells its stories through choreography and characterization, movements and changes in rhythm. This fall's diSiac show still has the "wow" moments the audience has come to expect. But this time, they're in the service of something more.
4.5 PAWS
Pros: The choreography takes advantage of the Berlind's lighting options and ample space. The company displays artistic merit as well as strong technique.
Cons: Some pieces were a bit generic or cliche.
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