Young dancers worthy of attention

By Anna Paula Höfling

•	Leeward Community College Dance Festival 7:30 tonight LCC Theatre $12; 455-0385

Coming in through the back door, I walked past young dancers in colorful costumes and elaborate make-up. I could feel their eagerness and excitement to get on stage and dance. Performing in this pre-professional setting should be about having fun on stage, but it should also be an opportunity to be challenged artistically and to grow as a performer or choreographer.

In this diverse program, some groups meet this challenge, while others stay in the safety of what is familiar to them, merely reproducing images and steps that are force-fed to us by the media. "Hernando's Hideaway," for example, danced to a medley by Colombian pop singer Shakira, doesn't go beyond the attempt at reproducing some of this artist's unique dance moves. Shakira's music is indeed contagious, and the dancers' commitment and joy are laudable, but this is an example of the kind of dance that, while it may feel good, doesn't necessarily work on stage.

Other pieces, such as "Candyland" and "Masochists," although well rehearsed, didn't go beyond images of what we're supposed to find "sexy." However, in trying too hard to be sexy, these pieces run the risk of being caricatures of themselves.

The Seabury Hall Dance Ensemble and The Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts both challenge their young students as performers and artists. The pieces presented by Seabury are well performed and rehearsed, and expose these young dancers (ages 13-17) to movement, drama and music that broaden their horizons and might trigger their own choreographic and artistic explorations someday. "The Streets Have No Name," the piece performed by students of the Mid-Pacific Institute, showcased these young women's impeccable technique. This piece was an example that it is possible to have fun while dancing and still make it interesting for the audience. The simple costumes, which suited the dance perfectly, were a reminder that sometimes less is more.

Other guest choreographers, like Sami L.A. Akuna and Melissa Teodoro, brought in a level of maturity to this concert. Teodoro presented her poignant latest work, "No M‡s," (No More) a statement against the civil war in Colombia.

Akuna's piece, "Something Wicked This Way Comes," begins when five men in protective gear and surgical masks come in through the audience. Perhaps exploiting our current paranoia with biological warfare or the new virus SARS, the men examine and clean the chairs and stare at the audience members. Once the men are up on stage, their backs to the audience, the curtain partially rises to reveal five sets of legs wearing black stockings and high heels.

The legs tease the men, trying to seduce them to come to the other side of the curtain, but instead of being titillated, the men seem frightened. When the legs finally suck the men into their world, they are stripped to their underwear, against their will, and left staring at the audience, puzzled. It is refreshing to see a choreographer pushing his own boundaries to create something brand new and exciting.

It is exciting to see so much potential — young dancers and choreographers genuinely passionate about dance — and the LCC Festival is clearly a venue for their artistic exploration and growth.