A Strong Night of Dance Dedicated to a Soft Season
By Dominqiue Williams – East Anchorage High School
There are few times when the body can form geometric shapes. At last night’s performance Alaska Dance Theatre dancers made the audience think other wise. Strong port de bras and strong turns set the plane for the night.
The first ballet piece was “Configurations on a Cloud.” This dance was a tender start to the night showing the principal dancers at their very best. Brian Kerton and Sam Franklin carried the leading ladies with envied strength and poise. Another thing standing out in this dance were the dynamics. The string quartet with the accompaniment of the piano shaped the background for the dancers to set their beautiful story.
The next piece was a contemporary called “Suite Intro.” Brian Ketron, Avianna CJ McKee, and Keisha Saddler performed the fast paced piece. All three dancers performed a solo and danced in unison. The highlights to the dancing in this piece were the precision and the turns. The footwork was quick but spot on with the music creating a precision that made the dance look extremely clean. The turns were flawless and executed with grace.
“Toma Tres” was a sassy jazz number with a Latin feel. The red dressed trio comprised of, Sarah Grunwaldt, Laura Hicks, and Keisha Sadder, exemplified a flirty side to the night. The flavor feeding of the stage was tasteful. These ladies smiled and truly enjoyed the piece making the audience enjoy it as well.
“Designer Skyline” was a modern piece and a favorite among the crowd. This dance showed the company’s pop culture because of the music. The song “Designer Skyline” by Owl City and the costumes created an art deco feel and made the piece look abstract and different in a very cool way.
The final piece was a ballet called “Tchaikovsky Sutie.” This piece had the most musicality. The dancers played up the musical cues giving the piece brilliant dynamics. Mr. Brian Ketron stole the dance with his solo, which at one point he did at least twenty pirouettes in a row! The crowd sat in awe as all four principal couples executed extraordinary lifts with strength and grace. This dance was an awesome finale to an already amazing show.
Alaska Dance Theatre’s Winter Repertory was a beautiful event that the company should be proud of. The dancers are all amazing in their own way showing strength and poise that many dancers envy. This show is a “can’t miss performance!”
Winter Repertory
Alaska Dance Theatre
Friday, January 22, 2010 @ 7:30pm
Discovery Theatre
