DURHAM, NC – Every year, dozens of pre-professional dancers flock to Durham, NC for the American Dance Festival. For the summer months, they have the unique opportunity to study and train under some of the modern dance world’s finest choreographers and teachers. They also have the opportunity to watch dozens of live performances from companies from around the world that they may not have had the opportunity to watch otherwise. Perhaps the most exciting part? The students get to perform.
Footprints is one of the final programs of the 2024 American Dance Festival season, showcasing the hard work of the summer intensive students over the many weeks they’ve been training. Each year, different choreographers work with the students, and this year the students got to perform under the wings of David Dorfman, Kate Weare, and Dianne McIntyre.
Dorfman’s scott and the wonders – as of now
David Dorfman’s presence at ADF this year is a quite unique one. Dorfman himself is an ADF alum and former faculty member. His work is known to push political and social boundaries, themes that are especially present in our country. His work certainly pushed these boundaries, as well as my own thinking of what real modern dance can be. Nineteen dancers flooded the stage with props, including a giant ladder, box fan, and desk lamp. The technique was beautiful, and the strength of the dancers, especially the female dancers, really shone through. The choreography was extremely fast-paced and required the group to be perfectly on count throughout the entire performance, which they did. The dancers beautifully told a story of intimacy, community, and trust – no one was left behind.
I always love when spoken word is incorporated into modern dance performances. Here, a handful of the dancers spoke in the voice of their unique “characters.” The audience got to meet characters such as an influencer, your favorite artist’s favorite artist, and a weird girl who paints rocks. In particular, the audience got a laugh out of “My name is Scott, and today I will be playing the role of frat boy…” Sky Poole’s delivery of “Frat Boy Scott” was entirely comical; her simultaneous dancing was nothing short of mesmerizing.
You can meet all of the student performers here.
Weare’s Sweet Song
The beginning of this piece almost took my breath away. Emerging in a single light, dancers Jen Kim and Devon Drybread performed a short but stunning duet. They seemed to be lovers in another life, and their physical chemistry was undeniable. Light on their feet, but delivering heavy emotions, the two partnered as if unbounded by physical weight even though their sizes completely outbalanced each other. Kim glided along the floor and into the arms of Drybread as the other dancers joined the two onstage, falling together into a rhythm of impressive group work and tight formations. Although he was considerably taller and larger than the other dancers, Drybread was lifted with ease and carried around the stage by the others. It is very difficult to make intensely physical choreography look easy, but strain did not show on anyone’s face.
This piece was a bit more contemporary than Dorfman’s work, which had more modern elements that fit the style of ADF. It’s exciting to see ADF branch out and favor more contemporary dance styles.
McIntyre’s IN TUNE
The final piece of Footprints was the perfect way to close the show. McIntyre and all the dancers brought high energy, stamina, and a great stage presence that left the audience in high spirits as they walked away. This piece was broken into three sections, the last being titled “The Magic.” This choice of words perfectly describes the energy shift in the theater during the piece. McIntyre’s choreography was pure modern, laced with urban social dance, and had a flair of bouncy femininity that only could be brought out in an all-female cast.
The dancers wore mono-chromatic costumes of varying shades of browns, oranges, and reds. I felt as though I was watching a sunset behind the curtains and the exciting uncertainty of a new day in the choreography. I found myself yearning for IN TUNE to be longer – I wasn’t quite ready to let go of it when the curtain closed.
Footprints was a stunning collection of work from ADF alums and current students who will one day go on to create great work and be additions to the modern dance world. It will be exciting to see how these dancers add to the vast community of modern dance. American Dance Festival’s 2024 season continues through July 28 with performances by Urban Bush Women and Paul Taylor Dance Company.
