The Daily Campus

Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Ryan Sayers The Parsons Dance Studio performed a variety of dances for an eager audience on Tuesday night at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts.

Most people are unaware that man in fact can walk on air, that five individual sets of hands can come together to form a wave, play a violin, and row a boat, and that it is possible to use the body to spell out love for someone rather than saying it. Thanks to the inventive choreography of David Parsons and the skill of his dancers, the audience was invited into a world where the impossible became possible, a world where the body is the means of connecting with music, light and color to create an experience of utter joy.

Parsons Dance performed Tuesday at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. A renowned choreographer, David Parsons created the company, which has toured the United States for several years and has traveled through six continents spreading a love for dance.

The program consisted of six fantastically whimsical dances, each distinctly different from the next. Ironically beginning with "Closure," a number complete with dramatic lighting, eerie fog and intense body movement, the performance immediately showed with the realization that this would not be an ordinary dance program.

The second number, "Hand Dance," was literally a dance of hands. Five pairs of hands came together to form an unbelievable sight. Amongst a stage of complete darkness all that could be seen were these 10 hands that seemed to come from one body, moving perfectly in sync with one another to create a wonderful visual experience. These ten hands played the piano, did the wave and rowed a boat, all the while leaving the audience wondering, "where are these hands coming from?"

"I thought the hand dance was extremely innovative and was simply a spectacular sight," said 3rd-semester, business major Stephen Packard.

Throughout the show, it was clear that Parsons concentrated on lights, staging, costume and movement to come together and create something spectacular. "Nascimento Novo," named after its composer, Milton Nascimento, began with silhouettes set against a brilliant orange background which changed into a deep purple amongst other fabulously bright and fun colors. These were matched by exciting Brazilian percussion in the background.

Continued...

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