Grow/Move/Change signifies new beginning for modern dance major

Under the glow of red stage lights, four dancers fluidly moved their bodies to the sounds of Radiohead's "Kid A" to open a program that was anything but traditional.\nThe IU Contemporary Dance Program hosted "Grow/Move/Change," its fall concert, last Thursday and Friday. As promised, it showed the audience an eclectic evening of dance.\nAfter a hiatus of more than a decade, the contemporary-dance major is once again being offered at IU. The dances, choreographed by guest artists and full-time faculty members of the department, truly represented the idea that no two minds think alike and demonstrated the versatility of the dancers involved.\nSome of the pieces were haunting, such as George Pinney's "Luminos," which used wireless lights attached to the dancers' costumes and featured music sung by the performers themselves. In the opening moments, the audience was only able to see two dancers, whose bodies were outlined in yellow lights. Between various movements the lights would change, and by the end of the opening sequence both bodies were layered in a squiggly pattern of blue, green and yellow. \nWhat followed was a fantasylike exploration of the human condition in a world that is balanced by good and evil, said Pinney, an IU theater and drama professor. In coming up with the premise for the piece, he said he knew he wanted to explore the futility of life by combining dance, technology and live voice.\nOther pieces were tributes to those who fought for social justice and equality in unpermitting times. "Looking Back," choreographed by dance faculty member Gwendolyn Hamm, featured local jazz singer Janiece Jaffe and a cast of five dancers who used their bodies to reflect conflict and struggle, then a rekindling of hope, according to the concert's program.\n"El Camino Del Cimmaron" represented the same idea. Choreographer Iris Rosa, director of the IU African American Dance Company, presented a lively piece featuring traditional African dance moves that "illustrated the power of music, song, dance, spiritual belief and community to empower the oppressed," according to the program.\nClosing the program was "Grow/Move/Change," a piece sharing the name of the concert. Elizabeth Shea, director of the contemporary dance program, choreographed a dance that used a live video feed of the dancers that was then projected onto a screen. The soundtrack was a pulsing array of everyday sounds electronically mixed together. It seemed to encompass what the contemporary dance program is all about -- pushing boundaries and exploring new ways in which dance and other mediums can be combined. \n"This concert was an important landmark because it featured the first official dance majors," said sophomore dance major Kelly McCormick. "People should be getting excited that this program is picking up steam and get ready for great things in the future"