CENTERblog

Intersections
by Hannah Swanson - West High School

Two amazing companies, Alaska Dance Theatre, along with James Sewell Ballet, came and intersected at Discovery Theatre on Saturday the 25th. These two ballet companies put a spin on ballet, and even added a little comedy. Alaskan students danced along side company dancers from Minnesota and they collaborated beautifully.

A relative piece to Alaska, as well as Minnesota, was Winter. This piece started with each dancer putting on scarves, hats, mittens, and legwarmers. Then they depicted throwing snow down each others back, making snow angels, all winter activities. Each piece was inspired from a small poem, shown in the program. One piece gave the idea of the dancers being like Bambi and slipping and sliding on the ice. The whole piece ended with dancers opening like a snowflake and snow falling.

James Sewell came and did a solo with these small metal rings. He was a gymnast which showed in his amazing flexibility bending his body thru these tiny rings. Chopin Studies was amazingly hilarious. The dancers fought over an imaginary crown in which case, the janitor who had to clean it up got to keep it! In the third movement they used a foam mat, which showcased amazingly leaps and flips.

The piece choreographed for the ADT dancers was named, There’s So Much to Do, which in this case was completely true. The dancers never stopped moving for a second. They lifted each other, ran from one side of the stage to the other.

All of the movements were very contemporary ballet. It was interesting to see another style of dance come out of these students, and as well an opening experience for the audience.

Intersections
Alaska Dance Theatre
April 25, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Discovery Theatre