While it may take a tourist a couple of days to see New York City’s hotspots, this year’s DanceWorks performance brought the audience around the Big Apple in just two hours – and provided entertainment along the way.

The 22nd annual DanceWorks performance brings the big city to life with a variety of dance styles with a New York City theme. The show encores tonight and Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium. Tickets are $4 at the Schine box office for Syracuse University students.

From the variety of dances performed to the subway ticket and map tucked inside of the program, the ‘I Love NY’ theme was beautifully executed. The almost full audience, ranging from dance appreciators to sorority pledge classes, was buzzing with excitement before the lights even went down, which added to the city-like vibe.

Much like the average New Yorker, no two dance groups were the same. The night was a musical grab bag with arrangements from the Broadway hit ‘Hairspray’ to a Justin Timberlake medley and a cover of Alanis Morissette’s angry, ‘You Oughta Know.’ Each performance tells a different story that paralleled the song in the background, giving the viewer a sense they were watching a play rather than watching dancers.

‘Some of these students have been dancing all their lives,’ Christine Goldman, a mother who came to see her daughter perform, said. ‘It’s great that they still have the chance to continue it in college.’

Another amazing factor was the versatility of the dancers. In some cases a dancer who just did a hip-hop number would come back on during a slower, more classical routine. The performances also encompassed all the major dance styles in unique ways: one performance integrated tap dancing with hip-hop, and another featured ballet-style dancing with techno music.

One of many highlights came at the end of the show when live hip-hop group Maviss performed alongside the dancers.

‘My favorites were the ‘Tribeca’ and ‘Wall Street’ performances,’ Goldman said. ‘The technique was absolutely exceptional.’

In addition to the dancing, the costumes were also a vital part of the show. There were designs that mimicked city jobs such as a gas station worker jumpsuit and more glamorous styles, which resembled a Ciara music video.

However, the most striking aspect about the costumes was the use of color. One particular number resembled an American Apparel ad with the movement of dancers wearing neon-colored tights.

Each dance had a different color backdrop making the outfits stand out and the dances look more vibrant. Although every dancer was wearing the same outfit, some were intricately decorated with a different type of accessory making each performer an individual.

By the end of the night, the audience was also on their feet, dancing along with the performers and singing along with the last number, fittingly ‘On Broadway.’

‘It’s always amazing how professionally the show comes together,’ Courtney Cohen, a sophomore television, radio and film major, said. ‘It surprises me since students are the ones who put it all together.’

kaoutram@syr.edu

Published on February 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm