"Tracking""Pretty"
"Analyze This"
"My Ena Me"
"Honor the Water"
"Confluence"
"Soy Mi Propia Persona"
"Spider Vs. ..."
"Torn Open"
"Traced Visceral Space"
"Cool"
A collection of short, student dance pieces.
#####
"Dancescape" is a tradition at Winona State University, though I haven't seen a production since the 1980's, when it had a different name. Still, the basic premise is the same: students and dance teachers choreograph short numbers and put them together in one large production.
I actually enjoyed quite a few of the numbers, for different reasons. Whether it was a nifty idea that was well expanded upon ("Tracking"; "Traced Visceral Space"), or nice choreography and execution ("Soy Mi Propia Persona"; "Cool") it generally had me entranced.
A few numbers fell WELL short of their mark. "My Ena Me" and "Spider Vs..." were not just off-beat, off-the-wall, they lacked a cohesiveness to their pieces.
The 'showcase' number was a dance called "Honor the Water," performed with the In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. Sadly, this wasn't even a dance. It was a weak, overly didactic piece of exposition. It was embarassing. It had lots of potential, lots of great masks to work with, but there was no substance. Someone definitely needs to look a little harder at these guest pieces!
