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When the curtain opened last Saturday night for the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble performance at Johnson County Community College, audience members may have thought they had mistakenly stumbled into a dance class. Instead of seeing costume-clad dancers readily poised for their first dance, the audience watched as the dancers warmed up at the barre before moving on to center floor exercises. The ensemble's director, Keith Saunders, announced to the audience that this was an interactive performance, one in which they intended to demonstrate the work and dedication it takes to become a professional dancer.

The night did indeed keep the audience engaged with a question and answer session with some of the dancers and a highly entertaining portion where three men from the audience were recruited to support the ballerinas in a short series of movements. Not only was it fun to watch these men interact with the extremely talented dancers, but I give them a great deal of credit to trust untrained individuals to keep them safely balanced on their toes.

There was, of course, a great deal of dancing as well. The opening number, The Joplin Dances, featured music from the great American composer Scott Joplin and was accompanied by a live piano. The number consisted of three short dances. Although there were occasions of awkward positioning and movement, there were great moments of musicality. The choreographer, Robert Garland, used the music well and the dancers performed beautifully. The last section, featuring the well-known "The Entertainer," was definitely the high point, both because of the music and the presence of the entire company on stage.

The second number, Fragments, was a more contemporary piece choreographed by Lowell Smith meant to demonstrate the relationship between men and women. The piece was simultaneously sensual and aggressive, with complex movements in which the men and women relied on each other, yet still demonstrated their individual strength. In this sense, I believe the piece accomplished its goal. It was an interesting number, and the dancers were strong and committed to the piece.

Finishing the first half was Hallmark, dedicated to Arthur Mitchell, the founder and artistic director emeritus of Dance Theatre of Harlem. The pas de deux was beautifully choreographed by Robert Garland and the dancing was superb, but I feel that it was not strong enough to make a lasting impression following Fragments. It might have been more effective to switch the two pieces.

Most of the second half was taken up by the question and answer session, and the ensemble danced only one final number-Concerto in F. The Broadway-inspired piece featured the music of the great composer George Gershwin. Although the long piece was very energetic and dramatic, the ensemble was not quite in perfect unison at times, and this was perhaps magnified by the costumes, which were mismatched and brightly colored. The music was also very fast, and at times the dancers did not quite finish their movements. The piece did end with a bang, as all dancers were on stage for only the second time in the entire night. It was a fun end to the wonderful performance.  

Overall, the Dance Theatre of Harlem offered beautiful dancing and interesting insight into the world of professional dancing. I found myself paying more attention to the choreography and meaning behind the dances than the actual dancing itself, which to me signifies that the dancers did their job magnificently.

REVIEW
The Performing Arts Series at JCCC
Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Carlsen Center
12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS
www.jccc.edu/performing-arts-series

By Andrea Montgomery

Dance and Classical Contributor (Past writer)

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