Black Movements Dance Theatre transitions to the spring season with leaps and turns, as the company welcomes the new season on February 26 and 27 with Mind, Body, and Soul in the Davis Performing Arts Center’s Gonda Theatre. Continuing the themes of the fall show of the same name, Mind, Body, and Soul blends passion and grace in celebration of Black History Month. Motivations behind the individual dances include expressing the value of love and friendship along with personal strength. Although BMDT remains loyal to its signature balance of modern and lyrical dance styles, this season’s concert has a strong theatrical feel.
“The most important thing to us was to express and emphasize each element of the show’s title,” BMDT Student Director Kellie Jack (COL ‘10) said. “We don’t have a hip-hop piece this time around, but we communicate our message in different ways.”
Lydia Mihaychuk
In “Johnny,” choreographer and BMDT alum Heather Burrs channels the concert’s overarching focus on high-energy movement. The dancers’ white gloves accentuate their crisp jazz motions, while the exaggerated style of both costume and dance technique evokes the precise synchronization of a Broadway chorus line. Quick movements keep pace with the music’s accelerated beat. While the number is fundamentally a jazz routine, shades of modern dance work their way into the choreographic composition. Sharp, extended arms flow swiftly into softer curves, and flexed feet shift into ballet leaps, leaving the viewer with a lively sense of theatricality.
“Winter Song,” by student choreographer Katie Pajerowski (NHS ‘12), is more reminiscent of past BMDT performances. According to Pjerowski, the piece is intended to represent “a journey searching for hope.” Soft, fluid lines dominate the piece, while its lyrical, ballet-inspired movements evoke deep-felt emotion and intensity. Modern dance features are once again prominent—extensions, muscle contractions, and sudden, isolated motions that lend a powerful expression to the choreography. Dancers move quickly then slow down, merging their bodies with the music’s subtle melodies. Smooth and graceful jumps, intricate groupings, and a series of leaps that cut across the floor all combine to give the motions of the piece complexity. Even as BMDT’s focus turns more towards the stylized and theatrical in this season’s Mind, Body, and Soul, its celebratory themes of personal growth and friendship communicated through dance remain constant. The company continues to speak through dynamic motion, using the stage to tell a cohesive yet multifaceted story.
