CSULB dancers shake their stuff at Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre

By Brooke Karli
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

Fifty dancers fluidly moved across the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre stage throughout the weekend, portraying ideas of social and personal corruption within the art of modern dance.
The graduate dance group, consisting of Cal State Long Beach dance majors, performed this past weekend, October 7 to 10, packing the 230-seat theatre for all four shows. The body movement throughout each performance was incredible, but the themes behind them were even more powerful.

Dwayne Worthington, who created opening dance "The Us in We," summarized his work by stating, "It is a display of everyday people coming to the realization of a simpler self and being able to release the burden of everyday living."

His particular portrayal of society started out to be beautiful and united, displaying shades of red, yellow, orange and blue as backdrops, while dancers limped onto the stage sporting identical jumpsuits. As they completed Online routines such as brushing their teeth, applying their make-up and flipping off the person in the next lane are completed, an abrupt change occurred when the jumpsuits were taken off and ragged black and grey ensembles were made noticeable.

Although the surroundings appeared to be darker, the dancers appear to be happier, freer. They were then forced to slide back into their jumpsuits, being held captive by boundaries and responsibilities. It is apparent at this point that the colorful wear is present society, looking delightful and successful from the outside, but only offering shallow promises. The dark costumes on the other hand appear to be the more unique and liberated society, going against the trends and expectations of modern day civilization. The piece itself presents a choice: do we go against the demands of society to find personal happiness in our own rights, beliefs and choices, or do we join the majority in trying to find happiness in societal acceptance?

"Breathing Room," choreographed by Shana Menaker, is a demonstration of the "Hectic lifestyle of the modern world and the conflict between the industrial and the natural." The piece is opens with a film flashing scenes of power lines, freeways, farmlands, waterfronts, and animals. The transition between film and dance was made by a dancer emerging from a floor of fog, as if relieved to have escaped the suffocation of modern day industrialization. As the performance continued, dancers moved accordingly to the filmed backdrop, moving gracefully when images of nature appeared and aggressively when industrialization took over. Ultimately, its theme simply touched upon the destruction of nature that we humans have allowed to take place and now suffer from.

Much time and preparation went into each of the choreographed works. Each choreographer was required to have a two-page written proposal stating the concept, working title, costume ideas, music selection and sets for their work before starting rehearsals. Once the proposals had been reviewed and approved by a committee, the choreographers then held auditions and began practicing as soon as possible. In this particular production, auditions were held back in April and most choreographers worked with their cast throughout the summer.

Along with the devotion of the cast and choreographers lies the dedication of those who helped in the overall production. CSULB dance students and event ushers Viviana Alcazar and Chris Cano not only received credit for their help, but also agreed that "Being able to experience every aspect of a production is a learning experience. Everything is appreciated a little more when you see all the hard work that is put into it."

Amythyst Fritzler, also an event usher, added, "the work done during the two week preparation time is tedious, but fun."

All aspects of the production, with the exception of the choreographers, were run by students. Such items as costumes, make-up, technical work and more were all done by students, not to mention the ushers who greeted participants, directed attendants to their seats, sold tickets at the box office, and provided refreshments at intermission.

The event in its entirety was very abstract and impressive. In agreement with Alcazar, "The dances were what you yourself brought to the table. They were definitely open to interpretation."

Summarized by Cano, "The dances were a rich blend of visuals that tugged at the heart."