VIBE headlines annual Day of Chance

Vibe Dancers present engaging program of jazz and tap

Vibe co-chairs, sophomore Brinda Adikhani and first-year Meredith Goldberg, opened Wednesday's show by telling the audience that Vibe's work is about the relationship between the performer and the audience. Unlike Spring Back, watching is not an act of support; it is an energy exchange. They sweat. We cheer and clap. They feed off of our enthusiasm and give it back to us. The best thing about a Vibe concert is that afterwards you want to hit the 'Sco.

Vibe's members, divided into tap and jazz performers each managed to pull together convincing sets. Five of this concert's nine pieces were tap and the well-rehearsed, confident tap group really gelled in these pieces.

The opening piece "Synthesis," choreographed by junior Lauren Jacobs is loud, clear and happy, at times defiantly so. Sometimes a dancer breaks away from the group into an individual rhythm. When the nine dancers, including senior April Davis and sophomore Jordan Mueller, tap in a semi-circle they are enjoying themselves. The dancing is reminiscent of a folk dance.

Seniors Kerry Wee and Caitlin Medlock's duet "Spoken Twice" is solid. The two dancers look at each other with pride. Brinda Adhikani stands out as the dancer most able to match Medlock's quirky intense presence, in their playful duet, "Chisel."

In "Warm it up," a tap collaboration based on their warm ups, three groups take turns performing while the other dancers wait patiently. The tap pieces are games that use rhythm as a way to communicate and listen. The performers let the moments of silence or a shift in rhythm surprise them.

The jazz pieces are less clear, and Vibe may need to define what they mean by jazz, if not for the audience, then for themselves. Sophomore Ann Williamson's six person piece "Undertime, Overworked" works hard and is competent,but it leaves no lasting image.

Wee's "Iph" is as slick as Wee herself. "Just give me one hour in her closet," said senior Whitney Smith. The six dancers move as if in a music video, dressed in silky shirts and black pants. When the Vibe Jazz dancers are genuinely having fun it's invigorating. However, when they simulate fun with their facial expressions, it's scary. "Iph" is strongest when the dancers fling their arms and torsos away from the group and then go into a sharp routine. This piece is ably supported by the lighting design of sophomore Emily Jean Wood and light-board operators seniors Erin "Ozzie" Osborne and Penny Ann Boyle.

The serious, almost pained, looks on the dancers' faces detract from senior Sze Foong's "Variations on a Theme." The piano music, classic black costumes and balletic movements establish this piece as different, and more serious. However, the dancers need to take a breath and perform the piece with less intensity. The work itself, while at moments lovely and ambitious, needs to shake itself out and breathe. The pace was somewhat rushed, as in the handstands. The lifts were engaging but some fell a fraction short of feeling natural. Throughout the concert, Sze Foong's understated presence stands out.

What the non-tap pieces lacked was contrast: a slow moment to balance the aerobic pace. These dances tended to stop rather then reach a satisfying ending.

Vibe, Oberlin's tap and jazz dance company, began four years ago with the initiative of Medlock and Cathy Doggett (OC'98).

"Full Circle," reunites the original Vibe jazz dancers, "The Founders" as Vibe calls them: senior Arden Kaywin, Medlock and Wee, with seniors Steffany Haaz, Ana Maria Alvarez, Kati Roberts and Victoria Chavez. Although Vibe's dance scene is always shifting, it carries with it the concept, dance, touching and wonder that Cathy Doggett instilled. Tap "Founders" Courtney Max and Christie Schroth deserve a mention.

"History," the finale, incorporates both tap and jazz, providing an interesting possibility for future Vibe concerts, with the tappers developing the musical base for the jazz dancers.

These dancers do not share their stories or their secrets, but they do dance: High extensions, playful rhythms, slim bodies, slick clothing, hip music. Dancing, they give energy to their peers for reading period.

Vibe performs their Spring concert Friday through Sunday in Wilder Main. Admission is $3, and tickets can be purchased at the Wilder desk.

Catch the vibe: Vibe dance comes to Wilder Main this weekend. (photo by Adrea Kamins)

Full circle: This dance reunited Vibe's founders and current members in one grand tribute to the art of dance. (photo by Andrea Kamins)