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April 21, 2006 > Arts & Entertainment > Insight produces creative leaps with mixed results

Insight produces creative leaps with mixed results

By Margaret Tung | Thresher Editorial Staff

Attempting plies and arabesques at home may break viewers’ bones, but watching the moves in Rice Dance Theatre’s spring show, Incite Insight, is anything but painful.

The company presents an eclectic and inspiring mix of dance genres accompanied by diverse music selections. From lyrical, classically-based ballet numbers to modern, student-choreographed pieces, the performance provides enough variety to please all dance lovers. Even so, the dancers seem to enjoy some pieces more than others, which makes for a mishmash of both spectacular and lackluster routines.

The show’s strongest performance is Martel College junior Emily Douglas’ “Both Sides Now.” Set to the haunting theme from “Requiem for a Dream” and requiring difficult technical footwork, this piece sets Incite, Insight apart from a generic talent show. Douglas’ innovative combinations match the music perfectly for a thoroughly enrapturing performance.

Martel College senior Katie Olson and Lovett College junior Danielle Mouledoux follow Douglas’ technical lead, effortlessly executing difficult footwork and solid lifts without even a forehead wrinkle. The duo possesses a powerful dynamic, and each dancer is individually skilled. Mouledoux especially captivates, freely leaping from stage left to stage right in perfect posture — while remaining natural enough to inject her own style into the choreographer’s complex moves.

Not only does Mouledoux dance beautifully, but she is also a skilled choreographer. In the beginning of her “Nature Rising,” she makes brilliant use of the dancers’ stage positions. This setup is best viewed from the rear of the theater, as it features the background performers rising above the foreground group with the help of blue and white boxes larger than the dancers themselves. This effective use of props results in a stunning visual display.

While these contemporary dances are inspiring, other less inventive pieces bore both dancers and viewers. In “Elevenbacks,” the music overpowers the dancers. The overly symmetrical choreography and tired execution make for an unremarkable performance. The piece is a classic example of a visual breather — allowing the audience to rest their eyes before something more appealing transpires.

Two other pieces, “Red Squares” and “Udder Despair,” could have been easily improved with simple wardrobe adjustments. In “Red Squares,” the dancers don clunky, oversized khaki trench coats. The audience can see only limited motion underneath the shapeless outfits, and the long coats hinder the dancers, who have difficulty executing jumps. The second half of the piece, once the trenches come off, causes both parties relief — the dancers are looser, and the audience finally has something to watch.

The cast in “Udder Despair,” dressed in various highlighter colored spandex costumes, takes a trip back to the early 1990s by dancing to the Super Mario Brothers theme song. The costumes fit the music adequately — although not ideally — but they distract too much from the dancing, coming off like the offensively bright Mario Sunshine animations. Instead of complimenting the video game techno music, the bright spandex overwhelms the eye.

The company seems to fare better with simple, modern interpretations than cluttered, heavily costumed works. Perhaps with more of a focus on the dancers and the choreography, the talent alone will hold the audience’s attention. Fun costumes can improve a dance’s atmosphere to a certain degree, but in the end, the quality of the performances should hinge on the quality of the dancers’ technical abilities and interpretive expression.

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