Fall Forward, MSJC Faculty Dance Concert 2010

December introduced the San Jacinto Valley to MSJC's biennual faculty dance concert; the pieces featured MSJC students, but were choreographed by the modern, tap, ballet, hip hop, and jazz teachers. Though there were one or two outstanding numbers that showcased both originality and genuine talent, most were mediocre and familiar.

The sole hip hop piece, Her Side His Side, played it too safe. The dancers danced to two songs, "Bust Your Windows" and "She Bust My Windows," and while the choreography was athletic, it wasn't big or violent enough. Because of the theme, the audience expects something energetic and shocking, but the dance is largely unexplored: several girls carry crowbars on stage and then practically ignore their existence. This dance was a disappointment after the hip hop pieces of previous years that were choreographed by Selvana, a student.

Knock Boots, a funny number performed to several different songs about boots, worked surprising well with its inexperienced dancers. Two sections consisted of a lot of strutting and confrontational, sexualized moves: it was cliché and felt inconsistent. Then, there were moments of befuddlement when, rather than walking during the chorus of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” the women posed, swinging their legs over chairs. The piece's middle section, however, was very entertaining; several dancers performed short solos across the stage in different kinds of boots. In between each solo, three other dancers leapt across the stage with signs, while the chorus sung “B-O-O-T-S!” The men in this dance were large -- they could have been football players pressed into service. Their size and stage presence gave this piece a specific, original atmosphere, especially at the end when they flexed their biceps and strode about the stage in heavy boots, sunglasses, and tutus.

The best piece of the show -- Julie Freeman’s To Have and To Hold -- was clever, playful, and surprising. It began with dancers in white and lace shyly peeking from behind three motionless men in coattails. Later the dance grew and modernized as more performers ran out from the wings. Halfway through, one dancer answered his ringing phone while on stage and began talking to a friend. "Oh, I'm not doing anything, really," he said. "Can you hold on a second?" he asked, laying the phone on the floor so he could reach across the floor with both arms. Then he picked up the phone again and continued dancing and talking. Next, the rest of the performers fanned out, also talking on cell phones while changing their costumes and undershirts onstage. The use of cell phones was both satirical and as unexpected as each performer’s sudden, innocent strip show. If none of the other teachers show solid work, attending MSJC’s shows at least exposes people to the inspiring, delightful mind of Ms. Freeman.