Last year at SpringFest, we stood in a drunken haze looking up at fun. taking over the stage on Chapel's Field. But during Taylor Lombard's '13 Senior Thesis performance in Merrick Theater, Some Nights: A Modern Dance Piece, choreographed to eight songs from fun.'s album, I was just as greatly transfixed by the performance. Lombard's choreography was sharp, appropriate and creative and she and the five other dancers were equally enchanting.

I've always enjoyed fun.'s music-the band offers a unique blend of up-beat pop mixed with a sense of emotional yearning. Its songs, especially "Some Nights," are sort of rock ballads that touch on problems many young adults experience. For this reason, Some Nights was a perfect album to choreograph a dance to; the visual and auditory entertainment complemented each other perfectly.

The songs followed their order on the original album, starting with "Some Nights (Intro)" featuring Lombard and Jess Urbach '15. The duo exhibited an intense chemistry and their concurrent movements, along with matching black shorts and leotards, set the context for the seven equally amazing performances that followed. The dance smoothly transitioned into "Some Nights" as the rest of the dancers emerged on stage-Morgan Conley '13, Bront? Velez '16, Amanda Reuillard '13 and Samantha Cortez '13. Continuing with the theme, the six girls danced dramatically, with strength and precision; I also picked up on a slight bit of simple Irish step dancing between the more elaborate dance movies.

Visually, I really liked how Lombard chose to divide the girls into pairs as seen in three sets of matching leotard colors and the dance duets. In each duet, the dancers clearly exhibited a strong connection and chemistry on the stage that complemented the powerful music. The third piece featured Velez and Cortez dancing to "We Are Young," perfectly embodying the lyrics of the song.

In the next song, "Carry On," all the dancers were on stage, but it specifically featured Velez, Cortez, Reuillard and Conley. This was one of my favorite pieces, partially because I wasn't as familiar with the song, but I loved its theme: "If you're lost and alone/Or you're sinking like a stone/Carry on/May your past be the sound/Of your feet upon the ground/Carry on." The two dancers who weren't featured, Lombard and Urbach, instead performed a duet to the next song, "All Alone." This song is very playful and sounds cheery, yet it muses about being solitary; Lombard and Urbach, dressed in tutus, portrayed these mixed feelings well and even appeared very doll-like.

Reuillard and Conley also performed a duet to "All Alright," which was relatively slower and more melancholic than the other songs-the song was about heartbreak and unreciprocated love. The storyline of "All Alright" was the easiest to follow of the dances because Reuillard and Conley's actions were clearly that of a misunderstood breakup. As Lombard writes in her director's note, the dances are "depictions of relationships filled with delusion, abuse, and unrequited love."

The last two pieces, "One Foot" and "Stars" featured all of the six girls and was an amazing end to the show. "One Foot" reminded me of "Some Nights" because it deals with similar themes of family and figuring out what to do with your life. "Stars" was a little bit slower, and more electronic sounding. Of the songs I knew before the show, I had thought that fun. was a great band, but after Lombard's thesis project exposed me to the entire album, I will definitely keep listening. And I won't forget her beautiful and elegant choreographed interpretation of the music.
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