Organically athletic'

There was a beautiful silence in the darkness of the theater seconds before the show began. The audience waited in anticipation until, finally, the lights flickered on and eight bodies stood on stage, ready to dance their hearts out.

On Saturday, UB's Center For the Arts hosted LehrerDance, an eight-person dance company founded by, and under the direction of, UB alum Jon Lehrer.

The members of the company come from various dance backgrounds - from break dancing to ballet to gymnastics, according to the dance troupe's website. The company originated in Buffalo but performs internationally.

Because of Lehrer, the company is strongly affiliated with UB and holds practices in the CFA rehearsal space during summer months and on academic breaks.

Saturday's performance was the first of the season, kicking off a tour that will take the company all over the globe.

When Lehrer went to UB as an undergrad, he attended his first dance class on a dare from his girlfriend. He took beginner's level modern dance and, in addition to getting an A, he found his passion for dance.

Lehrer describes his inspiration for his choreography as "completely based off athleticism and the human body."

"I'm not an arsty-fartsy guy," he said. "I'm not inspired by sunsets or Van Gogh or any of that. I'm fascinated by the way the human body moves and the amount of strength a single person can have, and I incorporate that strength into my choreography."

The performance opened with a group piece, titled "The Alliance."

True to Lehrer's style, "The Alliance" featured many examples of teamwork. It included lifts and partner choreography, in which pairs of dancers perform the same steps in sync, and repetition, in which two dancers perform a set of motions followed by two others performing the same set shortly after.

The 'LehrerDance style' is based on three elements of movement: circularity, three-dimensionality and momentum.

"These combine to create a form best described as 'Organically Athletic' - integrating the approach and fluidity of modern dance with the excitement and energy of jazz dance to create an expressive, engrossing style of movement," according to the LehrerDance website.

The second piece of the night embodied this form. Dancers Rachel Humphrey, a third-season dancer with LehrerDance and a 2010 graduate of SUNY Potsdam, and Immanuel Naylor, one of the founding members of LehrerDance and a 2006 graduate of Elon University, performed the intimate duet.

"It's incredible. It's so powerful to be on stage," Humphrey said. "To be under the lights and doing what I love is amazing. I love every second of being in the moment and performing my heart out, leaving it all on the stage."

The third performance caught the audience off guard with its comedic start - a lone dancer performing to "Happy Together" in a ridiculous, sparkly costume.

The piece included three segments of choreography that appeared serious and emotional, but it had a plot twist at the end with two male lovers accepting their need to part ways, only to reveal they were political opponents. The whole company was part of the number, and it left the audience wanting more just in time for intermission.

After intermission, Naylor and Kurt Adametz, who is in his third season of LehrerDance, demonstrated their physical and emotional strengths in a duet. Through difficult choreography and body language, the duo told a story of two people struggling with their own demons and working through them together. The performance focused on the emotion that comes with dancing, and when the music stopped, tension filled the air.

Colleen Walsh was a last-minute addition to the show. She performed a solo titled "Taken." Clad in white, Walsh utilized the lights in her piece, secretly moving across the stage when the lights were out and showing the audience her abilities when she was in the spotlight.

Because she was the only one on stage, the choreography accented her strength and flexibility. The audience roared with excitement, applauding once she finished.

The final two pieces embodied the way Lehrer choreographs - work, repetition, a clear theme of circular motion and emphasizing performers' strengths.

The audience couldn't tear their eyes away from the dancers' flawless transitions and patterns, and after the last piece, the performers received a standing ovation.

"I had come to support a coworker and, boy, I'm glad I did," said Terry Klein of Buffalo. "Not only did he blow me away, but the show, as a whole, was simply amazing. I'd see them perform again."

This was the first of five performances of the M&T Bank Dance Series. The next show is called "Flames of Desire" - 10 of Argentina's young singers and musicians will perform at the CFA on Nov. 2 at 8 p.m.

email: arts@ubspectrum.com