Like so many other people, I found myself caught in the buzz of the Montage Theatre of Dance's new production: 7 A Tale of Sin and Virtue. I literally saw posters hanging everywhere from the walls of Harris-Patrick to the main doors to the cafeteria. I have never attended a Montage dance performance before...or really any huge dance performance. So, I decided I wanted to experience something new and throw myself into the campus life a bit.
On Sept. 19, I went, saw 7 and was absolutely blown away in my chair at the front. From the very moment the dance began, the dancers came out powerful with beautiful, believable expressions on their face. It was like watching art being unfolded on stage. Every movement was seamless and connected with the main message of the dance, which was that we all struggle with sin at some point in our lives. I saw this message; I really did because of the excellent color and makeup choices that clearly defined the good and the evil.
The angel, of course, was all in white, but that's not what made it so interesting and unique. What stood out to me was that a man played the angel while a woman played the demon. This was such a cool twist on two characters who can be so stereotyped and cliché in most productions. Additionally, the costumes and color choices were helpful because I saw Pandora struggling with her sins and choices she made because she kept going from the good to the evil. She wasn't sure which direction to take in her life and I can relate to this as well as many other people. Sometimes, temptation can get the best of us but we can always find our way back somehow. It all depends on the choices we decide to make.
Well, it seems that I've left out the most important of the performance: the dancing! Every genre of dance was infused in 7 from hip-hop to ballet in a way that allowed to get the mood of each scene. The sin of lust was portrayed through a faster and sultrier dance while faith had a slower, gentler feel to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the cool transitions of dance. It was absolutely amazing to watch. Director Tiffany Jefferson has an amazing group of talented dancers, so 7 was a wonderful dance to behold. Now, I'm walking away with a cool message to apply to my life.
7 A Tale of Sin and Virtue will also be performed Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Candace McKenzie of Raymond is a freshman on the Raymond Campus. She is planning to major in theatre and journalism.
