Deis can ‘Dance to Dream’
Dancers of the Adagio Dance Company created a beautiful, fantastic dreamworld for audience last Thursday. This was the first time I attended a Brandeis dance show, but this show impressed me more than I would have ever imagined. More than 30 dancers and 100 audience members gathered in the Levin Ballroom room to enjoy a tremendous night of fantastic performances.
In a series performed by Kaliente with a K from Northeastern University, the women wore elegant salsa-style red dresses, while the men wore black suits with matching red collars. They performed three short dances, and all of them were powerful.
In an interview after the show, attendee Jiayan Tu ’23 told the Justice how much she enjoyed the event, saying, “I never knew a dance showcase can include such a variety of dance styles.” Tu is not the only audience member that was surprised by the variety of this dance performance. As the largest student-run dance group at Brandeis, the Adagio Dance Company has welcomed students of all dance backgrounds since its founding. Adagio members also practice different dance styles: jazz, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical, modern, ballet and many more. Thanks to the diversity of the Adagio Dance Company, the audience of this fall showcase had the chance to enjoy all these styles of dancing.
The most powerful moment would be this one. Everyone held their breath when they saw those dancers lifting the girl up during “First Burn.” At the same moment, as the background music stopped, the dancers carried the girl on top of their heads. The long-lasting applause at the end of this dance was well-deserved.
As the largest dancing showcase of the semester, most of the audience members were watching for some of their friends to dance on stage. The first show was a modern dance called “Running With the Wolves.” I was impressed by the perfect synchronization of their dance steps.
Even more exciting was that this showcase also featured “Kaliente with a K” from Northeastern University, the university’s only Latinx dance team.
The most elegant dance was “Marzipan,” by the Ballet Club. The performers tied their hair up delicately, but showed strength when dancing in a smooth, graceful and confident manner. Every time their bodies moved with the music, they shined under the lights like goddesses in a fairytale.
The exhilaration of this showcase was kept through the whole performance. As more dancers appeared on stage, the audience also became more and more enthusiastic. When the dancers of the ballet club were performing their dance, “Marzipan,” I could see how much the people who were sitting next to me admired what they were seeing. I was also influenced by the atmosphere — I held my breath every time when I saw those dancers hold each other up. I was surprised by the difficult choreography of “All That Jazz” and “Bury a Friend,” stunned by the synchronization of “No Sleep” and “Easy” and astonished by the energy of “HOT Damn!” and UMass Lowell’s Protohype, another invited team that performed at the showcase.
During the intermission, the Adagio Dance Company provided all sorts of snacks and drinks for the audience. None of the people around me left during the intermission; almost every audience member stayed for the entire show, which demonstrates how well liked it was. The harmony of the showcase’s stage effects, music and dance was extraordinary. As the stage lights changed with the rhythm, the audience’s emotions were also tightly connected with the dancers movements. You can always hear loud cheering and clapping through the whole night. By the time the event was over, I saw many dancers hugging their parents.
The showcase this year was absolutely amazing, and Adagio Dance Company members deserve their due credit. “We’ve been prepared for the show since two and a half months ago,” one of the dancers, Rachel Lese ’21, told me after the performance. Thank you, Adagio Dance Company, for offering Brandeis another perfect dance showcase!
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