‘Ex-Static’ Strives for Motion

Machines plus hip-hop often equals awesome. Kanye West set the precedent in 2007 with his take on Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” and the Expressions Dance Company took it from there at “Ex-Static” on Saturday night in Lowell Lecture Hall. But even the best of machines can get a bit rusty (especially in sub-zero weather) and require a little engine grease to get rolling.

Expressions is a dance company that encourages and thrives on audience participation, and one of the ways it does so is by being shamelessly, refreshingly attuned to pop culture. Taking its cues from the electronica-infused hip-hop that has come to dominate the radio waves, the company members deftly transformed themselves into robots with libidos, but struggled at first to gain momentum.

“Ex-Static,” featured the direction of Pamela M. Santoyo ’08, Elisabeth Michaud ’09, Meron K. Haileselassie ’10 and Layla Amjadi ’10. Dancers from CityStep and Harvard Bhangra also performed in the show.

The opening medley lacked the oomph that Expressions is known for, but the engine finally kicked into gear with “Fierce,” a muscular number choreographed by Michaud. Wearing top hats, eye makeup, ripped shirts, and dance pants, the female performers were an uncommon sight but undoubtedly left the impression of being “dangerous,” just like the similarly-titled Michael Jackson song that accompanied the dance. The dancers’ bodies cleaved through the air at sharp angles as if preparing for combat, which made the musical transition to Kanye’s “Stronger” even, well, stronger!

Another standout piece, “Southside,” featured Santoyo’s choreography. In this piece, rival gangs in matching street clothes prepared to battle it out with their moves. Sadly, a climactic dance-off never materialized.

Partial redemption, however, came when male and female members of the opposing gangs paired off and began breaking it down with one another. Maybe I’m a little too obsessed with Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas getting down in “Save the Last Dance,” but I was frustrated to find that couples-dancing of the kind exemplified in “Southside” played such a small role in the performance as a whole.

CityStep and Harvard Bhangra’s performances infused “Ex-Static” with an extra shot of adrenaline. CityStep, an organization that aims to enrich the lives of Cambridge youth through dance, let their third-year students take center stage for a chaotic hip hop medley that won the hearts of the crowd. Because let’s face it, what’s cuter than a twelve-year-old busting a move?

The Expressions Dance Company then returned to break it down with what was by far the most creative number of the night. “Stay With You,” choreographed by Adrian A. Diamond ’11 (a freshman—watch out for this one!), dramatized a child’s fantasy of her toys coming alive while she sleeps. Featuring a wind-up ballerina (Samantha K. Yu ’11), whose carefully controlled convulsions suggested that she ran on high-octane fuel, the act proved a delightful vision of the Nutcracker on acid.

Harvard Bhangra broke up the monotony of a less memorable second half with an awesome display of traditional Indian dance. Amidst all the popping and locking robotic limbs that characterized most of the show, the group was a welcome anachronism. Decked out in long, flowing outfits, the performers reminded the audience that dance is, in the end, a uniquely human expression, despite what any killer sex-bot might try and tell you.

With the exception of a tribute to the high school prom scene from the 1999 teen-classic film “She’s All That” (the one where Usher serves as DJ) in “Eyes Wide Shut” and a tour-de-force solo effort by Mollie K. Wright ’09, who is also a Crimson arts editor, in “The Real High School Musical,” the rest of the second half of “Ex-Static” was lacking in that human quality. It’s the kind of individuality and spontaneity that makes Expressions a unique kind of company, but—with the exception of a few standout performances—didn’t always surface amidst the show’s highly synchronized routines.