Photo by Nicole Williams
The Eisenhower dance company celebrated Valentine’s Day with a presentation of “Dances for Lovers,” held in the Sharp Theater this past Saturday. The collection of contemporary ballet dancers, originally hailing from Michigan, put on a two-part exhibition of romantically choreographed sets.
Most of the dances featured all six performers, while the minority of them had two dancers. The program was split in half between three larger acts and seven shorter ones. The first half focused specifically on love and relationships and took an approach that was clearly in the spirit of the day.
The group has been touring internationally for over two decades and put together this Valentine’s Day special as a tribute to passion. They have been backed by reputable organizations like The National Endowment for the Arts, The Kresge Foundation and The New England Foundation for the Arts.
The starry-eyed performances were accompanied by classical music as well as contemporary songs and remixes that captured the duality of relationships, passion and love. The three dances portrayed blossoming love, peaks of passionate engagements and other stages of romance to cover all the bases. Most of the choreography was done by Laurie Eisenhower, the namesake of the troupe who was in attendance to thank the crowd for their support of Eisenhower Dance.
Following the intermission the dancers took on the '60s era with excerpts from the full length presentation “Motown in Motion.” This strikingly visual portion of the show featured the hits that made Motown legendary including “Needle in a Haystack,” “The Love Machine,” “I Want a Love I Can See,” “You’re a Wonderful One” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” These songs had many people clapping along, while taking in the period appropriate costuming and upbeat ballet versions of infamous dance moves.
The dancers put on a wonderfully professional display of ballet that offered something to Valentine’s Day lovers and naysayers alike. The Berrie Center will continue its theme of love with a presentation of Preuve D’Amour, set to be staged in late February.
brocha@ramapo.edu
