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Dance is one of the most graceful and expressive forms of art, and a great way to communicate the feelings of individuals and cultures.
The International Dance Festival, which took place Saturday in the Collins Center for the Arts, featured multicultural students performing dance pieces of their own culture, or representing one of another.
“Dance shows expression. It celebrates where people come from and their individuality,” said committee chairperson Pardis Delijani.
Master of ceremonies Myer Taksel took the stage to start the show after a short film on Alternative Spring Break. While announcing each performance, he acted as the tour guide for the audience’s journey around the world.
The night began with a contemporary solo piece from India. The dance focused on the dancer’s hands, typical of Indian dances. To contrast, the show continued with an African piece that had dancers using their entire bodies.
Dances from Vietnam, Iran and the university’s swing dance club all took place in the first act, but one solo piece stood out. In this fluid tribal fusion of classical Indian and Moroccan dances, the dancer displayed an impressive amount of bodily control.
The first act concluded with the hip-hop club. Their moves were sharp and infused with tremendous talent, especially from the lead male dancer, Hoang Nguyen, who also was the artistic director for the show.
“This represents unity and a coming together,” Nguyen said.
“It was frustrating, especially when [our group] couldn’t get the coordination right, but once we got it down it was great,” said Nathan LaScina.
The first piece of the second act was Capoeira from Brazil, a mixture of martial arts and dance. Focused on strength and power, the piece steadily became better.
The Latin American salsa was spicy hot, fun and full of talent. The show continued with an intense, modern and relatable hip-hop piece by D-Fuzion.
A solo Chinese dance came next, full of small movements paired with grand, yet refined gestures.
The second-to-last piece was a Japanese fishing dance. The dance was illustrative, depicting the lives of Japanese fishermen.
The show ended with the flashiest dance presented: Black Bear Bollywood Bash. It was over the top and exciting, telling a story in a provocative way.
The International Dance Festival was a huge success. The costumes contributed to the show as each was a part of a particular culture. All of the pieces were student choreographed and performed, displaying an incredible amount of talent and diversity from the UMaine campus.
