‘Pandora:’ powerful, but not legendary

This weekend, Princeton’s eXpressions unlocks the wonders of “Pandora’s box” in their latest show. But while many may dread the release of evil that cannot be undone, what springs out of the box instead is a group of fiery and sexy female dancers. The eXpressions Dance Company presents what is probably its most diverse show to date, with varied dance styles and some very uncharacteristically artistic pieces. President Tara Knoll ’12 said, “It has been extremely rewarding to bring such diversity to our dances and stretch ourselves to the limit.”

The show begins and ends with impressive hip-hop pieces and the latest fast-paced hits, including songs by Lady Gaga and Kesha to excite the crowd. While there are some problems with the synchrony, these lively dances show that in addition to splits and spins, eXpressions definitely knows how to get down and shake some booty. The group’s provocative moves are energizing and make the girls look, as choreographer Kayley McGrath ’12 said, “cute, fun, explosive and sexy.”

The other fast-paced piece in the show, choreographed by alumna Chloe Angyal ’09, comes with a feminist message. Set to “The Fear” by Lily Allen, a parody on the objectification of women, this piece is powerfully sarcastic, brought out especially well by dancer Jess Turner ’12. All the girls wore T-shirts by Reverb, a company that sells T-shirts to raise money for causes such as human trafficking awareness.

Although the dance company excels at some of these new explorations, the girls have bitten off more than they could chew in a few ambitious sequences. The show has consistent implementation of some impressive moments, but the group slips up in many of their pieces. “A Dreamlike State” by Elizabeth Metts ’13 features some great jumps and an impressive artistic vision. Catherine Hsieh ’12 is a particularly strong dancer whose spins are a pleasure to watch.

However, the dancers haven’t quite mastered the technique to pull off the more difficult moves. They also struggle in “Don’t Forget Me,” by Emily Francis ’13, clumsily carrying each other and fumbling on some moves. Again, the song choice and idea are great, but the execution is not as well done.

Having said that, some discoveries that come out of “Pandora’s Box” are extraordinary, especially “Discord” by Amanda Van Duynhoven ’11. Although the show can get repetitive at times, this piece mixes things up and is refreshingly innovative. The piece is also acrobatic; it features some gymnastics that are much harder to pull off than the dancers make it look, all set to a bold, well-timed beat of bongos that give it a very jungle-like feel.

In contrast, the costumes are very modern, which helps the audience members absorb the chaos into their own worlds. Duynhoven explained that through the tumbles and body rolls, the piece depicts “some moments of harmony, but other times where people simply aren’t able to come together.”

eXpressions succeeds when it sticks to its strong lyrical style. “I Still Feel Alive,” by Andrea Francis ’11, has a brilliant simplicity to it, bringing out an emotional quality without trying too much. Ana Sollitto ’11 and Andrea Francis shine with some great extensions and effortless fluidity. In addition, Hsieh’s choreography maintains this elegance in “At The Bottom of the Box,” a piece that is complemented by Adele’s soothing tones. The costumes seem simplistic at times, but they do set the mood for a mellow and peaceful tone of hope as we reach “the bottom of the box.”

All in all, while I applaud this company for challenging itself and exploring new avenues, it remains that some dances might not have been ready to leave the box just yet.

Pros: Entertaining variety of dances.

Cons: Some slip ups in technique, simplistic costumes.

3 Paws