Mixing comedy and jazz, humorous drama and opera, and urban folk with Radiohead, the Seán Curran Company captivated the audience with its miscellany of stories during its performance at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Wednesday evening.
Each number held a different story for the audience to interpret, from the humorous “Metal Garden” — which included a watering can, a ladder and a shovel — to “Social Discourse,” an urban take on a contemporary folk dance.
“The dancers don’t just dance, they also act,” Curran said. “I give them acting problems to think about while they dance, and the dancers have to solve them.”
One of the most popular dances of the evening was a dramatic number performed by 12 Ohio University School of Dance students.
“The Nothing That Is Not There and The Nothing That Is” was an older Curran piece from 2003 that he redid for the School of Dance students during his fall visit.
“I was really impressed by the OU dancers,” said Anne Sand, a sophomore studying English. “I didn’t recognize them as dancers at first, but they played their roles and did a great job.”
Another piece that kept the audience laughing was a humorous drama called “Hard Bargain,” a play fight telling a story of diplomacy through face slaps, fake throws and slow motion punches.
“I really enjoyed (‘Hard Bargain’),” Sand said. “I think it’s great when dance can make fun of itself, because it is so comfortable with the audience.”
There are so many dance television shows that are popular these days, so you know that it tickles peoples’ eyes to watch it, Curran said.
“Dance is a social art form that you have to show up to experience,” he said. “I want to make dances that resonate and can arouse some emotion in you, making you come in one way and leave another way.”
About 700 tickets were sold for the event, which is a typical audience for a dance performance, said Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center.
The ticket sales did not exceed the cost of bringing the company in on ticket income, but a corporate sponsorship and other budgeted money helped to fill the gap, Holzaepfel said.
“It really was great to have such a well-known choreographer working with our students,” he said. “I really enjoyed the performances.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
