It is more than just movements that make a great dance performance.
While some shows are performed in silence with plain costuming, others utilize a variety of visual and musical elements.
On Saturday, the Garth Fagan Dance Company, whose founder is best known for his Tony Award-winning choreography in the musical, "The Lion King," came to the Center for the Arts for a one-night-only, all-encompassing dance performance.
Now in its 33rd year, the company is world renowned for its one-of-a-kind technique. Using a combination of ballet, modern and Afro-Caribbean dancing along with groundbreaking and breathtaking experimentation of the post-modern, the Garth Fagan Dance Company has created a style it can call its own.
The distinguishing movement that makes up the Fagan technique has been wowing crowds since 1970, and Saturday night's performance was no exception.
Composed of 12 dancers, the dance troupe displayed amazing strength, control and talent throughout the performance. The dancers' ability to sustain difficult positions and poses was impressive.
Fagan's style allows for several different dance combinations going on at the same time. Solos, duets and even trios are performed beside, between and through one another. These variations are done at different tempos, different levels and even with the dancers facing different directions. This allowed for a visually entertaining experience that continuously kept the audience engaged.
"They're amazing; I've never seen anything so amazing," said Erin Moss, a sophomore musical theater major.
The night's event included excerpts from three separate full-length pieces, including the world famous work "Griot New York."
The costumes varied throughout each piece. They ranged from slacks and shirts in "Conjour Man" (an excerpt from "DanceCollageForromie"), to simply hot pink Speedos and flesh colored camisoles in "Spring Yaounde."
"None of the costumes were overly flashy. They did not need to be, the dancers would have looked beautiful performing in rags," said Aminah Johnson, a senior at Canisus College.
The music was also an aspect of the show that displayed the wide range of Fagan's company. Each piece explored the traditions offered by many different types of music.
Wynton Marsalis, one of the most famous jazz musicians of the last 20 years, composed and arranged the music heard in "Griot New York."
The Jazz Jamaican All Stars' music was used in the final piece, entitled "Translation Transition," and included an instrumental version of Bob Marley's "One Love."
Fagan also used music from such artist as Dmitri Shostakovich, a Soviet classical composer, who in his life composed over 15 symphonies, six concertos and 25 chamber compositions.
All necessary elements came together to create a performance worthy of numerous ovations.
"I wish it had been longer, it was an excellent show," said Damian Woodall, a communications graduate.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
