MFA Concert stuns and amazes

The MFA Dance Concert 2011, Lightness & Dark, impressed the crowd on only it's second night with it's four major pieces that varied from soft and angelic, to dark and morbid.

At the Thursday evening April 30 show, the dancers involved in the graduate program were on their game. The show was choreographed completely by some of the graduate students, and included multiple CSULB dancers who were largely undergraduates. The concert consisted of four pieces, each about 25 minutes, that all told a very unique and different story.



The audience sits in anticipation
awaiting the start of the MFA Dance
Concert 2011. Photo Credit:
Nichole Hamilton

The concert opened with a piece titled Heaven that was choreographed by Brian Moe in collaboration with the dancers. The piece was centered around the journey and entrance into heaven, and the idea that everybody experiences it differently. This dance in particular featured a live vocal choir, pianist, and conductor, which really added to the overall tone of the piece. It had many happy moments where the dancers geniously expressed joy in their movements and their faces, but also had some very deep and low moments where the choir's haunting voices contributed to the depressed mood. With that being said, there were also moments of sadness, as some of the characters in the dance did not cope as well with the idea of death, and being in heaven.


The second piece was titled Fight or Plight, and was choreographed by Jay Carlson. This dance was a work based on the classic play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, and really focused on escapism and attaining the unattainable. It was a much darker piece, and explored the avenues of the imagination. It was very whimsical in character, and had an exttremely strong ending. It was very easy to appreciate this piece in particular because of how much emotion the dancers invested in their performances, and it was evident that they were completely enthralled in the performance.



Thirdly, there was a dance titled 12:01, choreographed by Summer Brown. The dance was definitely the darkest of the four, and like the first one featured live music. There was a wonderful violinist who performed on stage, which always adds to the overall drama of the piece. The dancers in this particular work appeared scared and hurt, and struggled with communication as they tried to talk to each other through the symbols they performed. The dance really succeeded in engaging the audience, as it was such an emotional work.

A crowded lobby discusses the first half
of the show at intermission, and awaits the start of
the second half. Photo Credit: Nichole Hamilton.

Lastly, there was The Art of Breathing, choreographed by Jessica Kondrath. This piece featured the largest number of dancers of any piece of the night, and also the most lighting. This piece was wonderful, and really stood out from the others due to its unique and different costumes, which were similiar to one piece bathing suits, and the very bright lights that remained on the entire time. After two darker and deeper pieces in a row, it was a very positive dance, and ended the concert with a very classic and elegant feel.

Our own Heather Glabe performed in the last piece, and despite all of her worries, succeeded completely. Glabe looked angelic in her movements, and really stood out among the rest due to her passion and extreme dedication to the art. According to the Daily 49'er's article CSULB dancers 'penetrate the minds of the audience,' "The Art of Breathing" had a more majestic and royal feel, partly due to the J.S. Bach cantata the dancing complied to. The article also said that the 16 dancers in royal blue leotards with their hair up and away from their faces looked elegant, and it was the least interpretive performance of the night, consisting of a balanced blend between ballet and modern movements.

The MFA Dance Concert 2011 runs until May 1, and tickets are still available through the dance department's website. Overall, the concert has a little something for everybody, and promises to leave everyone pleased.


Left to right, Michelle Brandin, Belinda Lutes, Jill Schroeder, Sarah White and Samantha Chapparone perform “The Art of Breathing” by Jessica Kondrath at the CSULB MFA dance concert. The performance included choreography by CSULB graduate dance students. Photo Credit: Gregory R.R. Crosby