Dance Production Workshop’s 29th annual performance opened on Thursday, April 15 in the Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall. The show, themed “Art in Motion,” offered a wide array of musical and dance styles.The show’s first act began with a piece called “The Obsession of Dance,” which was a fitting title to the choreography of the performance. All dance styles were represented here. It began with ballet and took off into hip-hop and coupling. The upbeat, energetic number got the show off to a good start.
The second number was set to the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones. The colors of the performance were green, yellow and purple. The sleeves of the costumes had a unique quality to them in that they somewhat resembled flags in the way they moved when dancers were turning. Between the flowing sleeves and pastel colors, this piece had a light, relaxing feel to it.
Pat Benatar’s “Heart Breaker” was the music for another dance. With sexy black and red colored costumes and multi-colored lights going, this was one of the show’s more upbeat numbers.
A slower piece titled “Guardian Angel” slowed things down as dancers gracefully performed wearing lavender costumes. This piece was beautifully choreographed by DPW Vice President, Kelly Coldren.
One of the more unique pieces of the night was Fran Cleland’s “Light Play.” This whimsical piece had simple, fun dancing with creative props like hula-hoops, sheets and bouncing balls. The number took on a quality of its own as dancers playfully made their way around the stage.
The final performance of the first act was set to two songs by Missy Elliot. Dancers executed precise hip-hop moves to the beats of “For My People” and “I’m Really Hot.” The number concluded the first act with an energetic bang.
The second act of the show began with a piece choreographed by faculty member Gretchen Studlien-Webb. This number was unique in that it was inspired by paintings created by Donna Usher, an Associate Professor in the WCU Art Department. The series of paintings are titled “Coming Up For Air” and are symbolic of a scuba diver rising up from the water toward the light and air while passing fish and plant life. The number had two shell-like pieces of cloth on stage as a blue light was reflected onto them. From the choreography, to the lighting effects, to the unique music, this number definitely had an oceanic feel to it.
A piece titled “Individually United” lived up to its name. It featured a medley of songs ranging from Ludacris’ “Stand Up” to “Move Your Feet” by Junior Senior. The number began with the dancers all wearing black pants, but different-colored hoodies and they later shed those hoodies to reveal different styles of bright, sparkling tops. Their united dancing made for an upbeat, fun performance.
One outstanding performance of the show was a tap dance that was choreographed to the theme song of the Harlem GlobeTrotters. The number featured dancers playing on two opposing teams with appropriately colored yellow and purple jerseys. They tapped through playing a basketball game, to shaking hands at the end of the game, to being on the bench in the locker room. DPW’s President Jennifer Rose choreographed this number and it definitely ranked as an audience favorite. This concluded the second act.
The third and final act began with a steamy rendition of the “Cell Block Tango,” from the movie “Chicago.” The dance had the appropriate props of jail cell bars as each woman was “put away” for killing her lover. Each time a man was killed, it was uniquely portrayed by the woman pulling a red scarf from his body. The costumes in this number were the simple color of black, but designed in different patterns to be sultry and sexy and in the end, looked anything but simple. DPW member Chris Perez is credited with choreographing this audience favorite.
DPW’s creator and director, Barbara Lappano, choreographed a number to songs from the show “Movin’ Out”. The number was set to green and purple hues. It was an upbeat number where all the dancing flowed well.
The finale featured all DPW dancers joining together for a well-choreographed number. Having several dancers on one stage can sometimes be disastrous for a show, but this was not the case here. Everyone fit in just perfectly as the ensemble ended the show with a funky club dance complete with blacklights and glowsticks.
Barbara Lappano and her Dance Production Workshop once again have had a successful year performing for the West Chester University community.