Rice Dance Theater showcases versatility

By Laura Michel     4/19/12 7:00pm

Combining Earth's elements, Spanish telenovelas, bright bold costumes and modern interpretive dance, Rice Dance Theater's Spring 2012 Production "Dancing Between the Lines" featured 12 masterful performances from all 23 of its company members.  The show was a bit of a departure from RDT's Fall 2011 "Points of Contact" show, which featured more elements of modern dance, but was nevertheless quite enjoyable and perhaps more accessible to the casual audience member.   

At the beginning of the show, RDT presidents Brown College senior Gabi Bello and Jones College senior Raquel Kahn encouraged the audience to enjoy and even humor in the performances.  The humor came across in various places, but it was most obvious in the dance "Not Another Telenovela."  In a humorous adaptation of a typical Spanish soap opera, the seven performers re-enacted the romance and drama of a typical episode, winding together various plot lines simultaneously as the dancers interacted with one another.  The scenes, which were all equally fascinating, grew ever more connected and hectic until a final, poignant gunshot ended a life and the dance.

Some of the dances had more somber, serious tones, such as "Portrait of a Princess."  The dance was a modern interpretation of the trials and tribulations of a princess.  Removed from their couture and life of luxury, the figures in the dance seemed more humane and approachable, even vulnerable at times - sort of like Cinderella before she went to that fateful ball.  In this show, as well as others, the dancers did a wonderful job of conveying their emotion not just in their carriage and movement, but also in their facial expressions.  The overall effect was a manifestation of the dancers' passion and control over their bodies.      

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Also notable was "Daydreamers," a duet featuring McMurtry College sophomore Peter Abraham and Wiess College freshman Olivia Hu.  Abraham provided his own soundtrack for the piece, singing and playing acoustic guitar, while Hu was the solo dancer in the scene.  The interaction between Hu and Abraham was an intimate affair: There were no fancy costumes or set pieces, just raw emotion and the beauty of the dance.  The overall effect was peaceful ?and serene.

The final dance was the perfect ending to the show.  Drawing inspiration from the show's title, the dance included all of the RDT cast members, all of whom demonstrated why we should not be afraid to dance between the lines.  While the dancers started in seemingly orderly lines, the placement quickly evolved as each dancer individualized her own space, transforming the dance floor into a myriad of separate scenes.  Far from being disconnected and disjointed, the scenes complemented one another well, again adding to the motif that one should not be afraid to be outgoing and experiment with one's own creativity.

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