From Ballet to Broadway

Some of Tufts' most diversely talented dancers showed off their skills on Saturday night in Cohen Auditorium in Sarabande's annual spring show, "The Sixth Position." The dancers brought something different to the stage as compared to past Sarabande performances with much more swing and cabaret-style dances complementing the traditional Pointe, tap, and ballet for which the troupe is known.

The show also featured such guest acts as Spirit of Color, Tufts Dance Collective, and the Tufts Association of South Asians.

"I was very pleased overall with the show," sophomore producer Laura Manoogian said. "I was very excited to have so many different outside groups in addition to Sarabande. We had a lot more this semester than usual in our spring shows, and it was great to see other types of cultural dances"

The performance started out with a traditional Pointe dance choreographed by freshmen Megan Duane and Erin Young to the upbeat music of "And We're Dancing" by PYT. The dancers got the crowd into the show with their talent, energy, and enthusiasm.

The second dance, choreographed by sophomore Kaitlin Toner to the song "Swing Set," followed the same tone of the previous dance, with the participants dressed in suspenders and wife beaters. The dance epitomized the spirit of the show, with its old-fashion, Broadway feeling.

"More people were interested in doing theatrical dances this show," Manoogian said. "It all depends on the choreographers because they get to pick the music and their dances, so our show revolves around who wants to choreograph and what type of dances they are interested in"

The first non-Sarabande act to take the stage was the Tufts Dance Collective (TDC), which strutted its stuff to the song "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The dance, choreographed by seniors Dave Metz and Sandy Kunratanagarn, featured a little bit of everything: from break dancing to booty shaking to frog jumping. The performance provided a nice change from the more technical, traditionally styled dances of the host group.

Sarabande took the stage again after TDC with a ballet dance to the music of Kansas, choreographed by senior secretary Elyssa Rosenberg. The dance featured the troupe's one male performer, sophomore Jeremy Sueker.

Rounding out the first act were performances by Sarabande dancers and guest groups. The two guest acts were the Vietnamese Students Club, who gave the audience a glimpse of their culture, dancing to traditional Vietnamese music and wearing traditional costumes. Tufts' only breakdancing group, Turbo, rounded out the guest groups in the first act.

After a brief intermission, senior Hailey Brewer, appearing in her final Sarabande performance, opened with a dance set to "Alone in Kyoto," from the soundtrack of "Lost in Translation." The technical precision of the dance brought the audience back into the show, and was a nice lead-in to the second act.

The next dance, by the Filipino Culture Society, was performed to traditional, upbeat music but its dancers lacked the energy displayed by the other acts in the show.

One dance in the second act, choreographed by Manoogian to "Toxic" by Britney Spears, stole the show. The dancers looked like they were having fun on stage. The song selection was just right for the moves displayed, combining both high energy steps with the technical ones for which the troupe is best known.

TASA was up next with a Diya dance to "Water Girl" by Zakir Hussain and "Breathless" by Shankar Mahadevan. The dance, named after the candles called diyas used during the performance, made for an interesting contrast with the stage lights.

Sarabande continued the performance with two dances, a ballet to "Schubert's Symphony in C Major," choreographed by Isadora Duncan and arranged by Rosenberg, and a Hula Dance to the Hawaiian music of "Puamana," choreographed by Kathy Haviland.

Spirit of Color performed "Nasty," the most athletic dance of the night, set to music from Ludacris to Beenie Man to Kelis and Pharell. It's hard to tell whether the audience was more enthralled with the dancers' techno-like moves or the variety of the music selection. The show ended with a Sarabande dance to the song "He Lives in You" from the Lion King.

The show marked the final performance for Sarabande's three seniors, Rosenberg, Brewer and president Lauren Rochelle.

"It will be sad to see them go because all three brought so much to the group in the respective roles. Even though Hailey just joined this year, she's been a great choreographer and has brought a lot to the group.