![[Diversions]](/~d49er/Icon/diversions.gif){kind=icon}
Dancers said something without using words Thursday night. They powerfully expressed to the audience the notable talent, individuality, eloquence and lack of inhibition they possess.
Cal State Long Beach dance majors were responsible for the choreography, lighting, dancing, music choice and set design for the CSULB Contemporary Dance Concert.
The dancers' use of innovative movement, rather than traditional dance steps, lent to the show's distinctiveness.
The show itself contained a wide variety of themes, unique and independent of each other. "Eggshells," choreographed by Stephanie Nugent and performed by she and Shirley Mesman, went beyond physical movement alone, and entered the realm of theater.
Mesman and Nugent successfully used each other in their performance. Pushing each other away and pulling each other back, the two exemplified the fear of being alone.
Incorporating movement and acting, Christie Freeman in "Looking In" transcended the ordinary. In a poised performance, Freeman used unique movements like small gyrations of her torso in her heartfelt portrayal of a mournful woman.
John Stronks' "Ruin," performed by Stronks and Michelle Brazil, was a notable piece. Wearing toe shoes, Stronks exhibited obvious experience in ballet, characterizing an eccentric, genderless outcast.
With sounds of drills and saws in the background, Robert Lou and Heather McArdle walked down the side aisles to the stage with ladders in "8' Above," creating a truly unique piece.
The most original moves were seen in "The Past 120 Degrees," choreographed and danced by Margo Caddell and Lala Ghahreman.
Costume designer Liz Pelster created the outfits for all 14 works.
In "Perfidia" she created "Star Trek"-like outfits that added significantly to the modern feel. Where Pelster shines, however, is in her use of color.
Under the direction of Andrew N. Milhan, students were responsible for the lighting design. As a whole, the lighting schemes looked professional.
In "Flowers Are Zero" Rachael Robbins used graphic-looking boxes of light to emphasize a sense of solitude. In "Generations," also lit by Robbins, minimal lighting, except for flashes of bright white light in the beginning and end, effectively resembled camera flashes.
The red-and-purple lighting of "Boom" captured that piece's energetic and entertaining dance.