Western Courier

Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: The Edge

Media Credit: Martyn Davis The dancers performed to songs written by greats such as Danny Elfman.

Media Credit: Martyn Davis The Spring Gala Dance Concert dedicates part of its performance to troops.

Western Illinois University's Department of Theatre and Dance held its Spring Gala Dance Concert last Thursday, Friday and Saturday to a much-entertained crowd in Western's Hainline Theatre.

The first dance number was titled "A World Away From Washington" and was choreographed by Kelsey McCausland with music by the U.S. Army Glee Club. The dance gave a great sense of American pride with the dancers saluting many times and the piece coming to an end with an American flag design on the backdrop. The dance was dedicated to the American troops serving in the Middle East.

Another memorable performance was "Cleansing Waters," choreographed by Megan Scales with music by Enya. The music was mesmerizing and drew the audience into the performance piece. Another number was "The Keeper," which used Linkin Park's "Numb" as its music, but it was played entirely on piano.

All of the dancers were very energetic and gave great performances through their dances, which really helped draw the crowd into the show.

It was easy to tell they love to dance, making it a pleasure to watch.

This was shown especially through the dances "Rifting Through the Gears," "Away" and "Voices of Spring Echoed." "Away" and "Voices of Spring Echoed" were two of the best choreographed performances of the evening and had amazing dance moves thanks to choreographers Candace Winters-March and Denise Brakefield.

Two performances definitely stole the show. The ninth performance of the night, "Breaking Occupational Boundaries," was a funny piece that started off with a girl who was too upbeat about being in class and annoyed at the three other students who clearly didn't want to be there.

The music used was from Thomas Newman and Danny Elfman, the latter a composer whom director Tim Burton has used in almost every one of his films. You could definitely feel a very Burton-esque tone to the piece just through the music. The overall performance was very enjoyable.

The other piece that was by far the most entertaining of the entire show was "It's Mine," a collaboration piece between the Western dancers and Bridgeway Inc., which is a network of mental health and recovery services.

The collaborators from Bridgeway Inc. were excited to be there, and it made the performance very enjoyable. Some of the dancers used wheelchairs as props, demonstrating acrobatic and also funny moves. This number received the biggest round of applause of the night.

The concert came to an end with "Arrivederci," choreographed by guest artist Darby Wilde with music by J.S. Bach.

The performance was done with much grace and fast-paced dance moves. The night ended with a standing ovation.

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