Spring Back Fuses Funk, Ballet and Modern Dance
BY KARI WETHINGTON

(photo by Areca Treon)

It’s getting warmer and it’s finally time to celebrate the coming of Ohio’s finest season with the annual Spring Back Dance Concert, presented this weekend in Warner Center Main Space. Debuting seven student-choreographed and produced pieces, the concert is anything but monotonous, including several essential elements of modern dance performance: funk, ballet, postmodern drama, contact improvisation and comic relief. 
The lively performance begins with “Nomadic Accent,” a duet performed by seniors Meredith Goldberg and Elizabeth Heard. The piece will look familiar to concert-goers who saw last month’s Indie Stud Dance Concert, where Heard presented a solo version of the dance. Set to a slow dirge, one dancer mimics the motions of her partner, eventually synchronizing a sequence of movements. As the music becomes more dramatic, the spontaneity increases and the piece becomes more coherent, though never wholly satisfying. Most striking about this piece, perhaps, is the shifting lighting effects, designed by Blythe Phillips, technical coordinator for Warner Center.
With the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing in the background, sophomore Asheley Smith’s quartet, “Unfinished Business,” provides a provocative look at relationships. The piece is short but poignant in its representation of ties we make with other. The four dancers continually change formation, sometimes standing alone, other times dancing in the company of others.
“Silent Impact,” choreographed and performed by senior Jose Melendez brings the dramatic aspect of Spring Back to the forefront. Performed in silence, Melendez seems to test the limits of the space around him. In one dynamic moment, Melendez uses the force of his swinging arms to twist his body slowly down to the floor, where he rests with his back to the audience, in a meditative, anticipatory repose. The only element detracting from the beauty of this piece is its overwhelming solitude.
In order to lighten the spirits, “Funk in Blue” is performed by a high-energy troupe of tap-dancers. The piece, choreographed by senior Brinda Adhikari and collaborators Donne Golden and Artis Mooney from Washington, D.C., is set to “It’s Love” by Jill Scott. It incorporates hip-hop aesthetics that provide a street-vibe feeling — from the battles between duos who try to out-dance each other to the infectious beat.
Running with the lighthearted, though groovy theme, “The Piece I Would Have Done In Fishing Waders If I Only Had the Chutzpah,” is a subtle, humorous jaunt through romance and sunshine. The quaint, catchy tune “Oahu” by Stephen Merrit sets the perfect background for the cheery piece, which puts the “spring” in Spring Back. Choreographed by senior Anne Gadwa, the piece has the dancers slide eloquently from sequence to sequence — so smoothly that it recalls synchronized swimming — and though it’s all very charming, the lightness of the piece becomes a bit excessive.
Spring Back’s other solo piece, by junior Irene Akio “Machie,” is a compelling piece that adds much-needed variety to the concert. Akio’s technical work is outstanding and remains intense throughout, making “Machie” a highlight of the concert.

“Untitled,” senior Ann Willemssen’s piece for nine dancers, boasts a smashing original composition by senior Zack Hickman. The blues/folk music combined with the dynamic dance performance, could be a musical in its own right. The music is a centerpiece of “Untitled,” and at times one wonders whether to watch the musicians or the dancers. But this is precisely Willemssen’s point: What does it mean to be an audience? It highlights the struggle between music and dance and plays with the idea of a performance’s focal point. Spring Back’s final piece is wholly satisfying — despite the tendency of the costumes, uplifting music and theme of it all to remind one of a Gap commercial.
Spring Back is once again a success and something dancers at Oberlin have ample right to brag about. However, the concert does not tackle new issues or venture into new ground, and some of the dances may look similar to many dances Oberlin has seen before. Even still, the mood and the energy put into every moment of the performance wins out in the end, to leave a lasting impression.