The merging of dance and music is nothing revolutionary. For as long as dance has been a popular art form - from the early days of ballet to the current trends of jazz and modern - dancers have performed in duo with musical accompaniment.
But not often does dance get paired with the sounds of percussion alone.
On Saturday night at the Center for the Arts, The Departments of Theatre & Dance and Music teamed up to present the one-night-only cutting edge concert, "Dance & Percussion: A Whirlwind of Sight and Sound."
The performance consisted of seven members of the UB Percussion Ensemble and 13 dance students, in a combined performance celebrating the relationship between dance and percussion in American culture.
"It wasn't a dance performance, or just listening to live music," said Julius Spencer, a junior sociology major. "It was both, and it was explosive."
Instruments lined the sides and the back of the Mainstage, while the middle remained empty for the dancers to perform. The arrangement left room for all performers to garner the spotlight. The percussion ensemble was just as powerful, breathtaking and entertaining as the dancers themselves. As the loud, powerful drums played, the audience could literally feel the beat of the music.
As the program progressed, it became virtually impossible to separate the dance department from the music department; they acted as one, if for only one night.
Such theatrical elements as costume changes and the incorporation of props not only applied to the dancers, but the musicians, too. They changed costumes and incorporated props-minor, but important, similarities that helped prove the performance as a true collaboration, a fusion of different art forms into one.
Props played an important role in the show that added to the overall creativity and originality of the production. In the piece "Rhythmic Sculptures," the dancers and musicians were covered head-to-toe in a stretchy, sheet-like screen.
In "Red Norvo Suite - Rag Suite" the dancers wore wooden stools on their heads, and beautifully incorporated the stools into their movements. This piece's dance style expressed a comedic, playful feeling, and received a warm reception from the audience. Laughter and applause became its own kind of music during this section.
The most original and innovative part of Saturday's performance was the finale, entitled "Human Percussion." Dancers entered the stage two at a time wearing a variety of instruments. Symbols were worn as hats, and drums were strapped to their backsides. As they entered, the dancers were accompanied by members of the percussion ensemble, who played the instruments as they rested on the dancers.
Along with playing as a group, the ensemble members had a chance to perform individual solos, as the dancers around them changed positions. The show was a fusion of dance and percussion unlike anything produced at UB before.
