The theme of this semester’s Dancers’ Symposium (DS) show — “Breathe. Bare. Burn” — did not do justice to the show as a whole. With talent and style, DS went far beyond any sort of sexually-driven club dancing that could be implied by its theme.

After a brief welcome from the show’s organizers, the DS performance kicked off with a hip-hop routine to Stagga Lee’s “Rock Ya Body.” Like all of the hip-hop dances in DS, the dancers’ complicated and synchronized moves were worthy of the audience’s respect.

Many of these dances were spiced up with story lines or “lead singers.” At the beginning of “The Walk Off,” featuring music from Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, and Black Eyed Peas, an announcer declared that this dance would show Greenwich Village meeting Wall Street. In the style of West Side Story’s Sharks and Jets, the two groups of dancers staged mock dance battles when they met center stage.

For Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” Charles Nyame starred as Andre 3000, delighting the audience with his humorous impersonation. Similarly, Jeffrey Loh was featured in the dance to Prince’s “Pussy Control” as Mistress Apollonia Champagne, an allusion to Prince’s ex-girlfriend and co-star in Purple Rain, Apollonia Kotero, complete in cowboy hat and fur coat.

Highlights of the hip-hop dances also included poppers and breakers. Popping, a dance style similar to “the robot,” was featured expertly in many brief solo performances, including one to Usher’s “U Got It Bad.” In “Me Against the Music,” two members of Carnegie Mellon's International FreeStylers, Khalil Snell and Eugene Yee, performed impressive breakdancing moves. Snell in particular drew cheers from the audience by leaping horizontally and spinning in midair.

Two dances featured human sculpture, feats of both grace and strength. For Tool’s “Schism,” two pairs of dancers slowly and smoothly linked together into difficult poses. The second piece, to “Diva Dance” from the movie The Fifth Element, featured all five dancers at once performing “the worm,” a breakdancing move, in addition to a human tower at the end of the dance.

Other standout performances included “Wake Me Up Inside,” a dance to Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life,” that included color guard flags and a live percussion section. Although the live drummers sometimes overpowered the song itself, the inclusion of these percussionists thrilled the audience, especially when four of the snare drummers climbed onto the stage and began to cycle around each other while continuing to play each other’s drums. Another standout performance was “Through These Eyes,” featuring rhythmic gymnastics and ribbon dancing that came into popular culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Aside from the hip-hop dances, there were three tap performances. The Björk song “Cover Me” and Kermit the Frog’s “Happy Feet” were polar opposites in mood, but equally enjoyable. “Acappella,” named for its lack of accompanying music, was a particularly difficult tap piece with black buckets and hubcaps serving as musical instruments to keep the beat.

Some of the dances harkened back to the '80s and '90s, including performances to John Mayer’s “Clarity” and Irene Cara’s Flashdance hit “What a Feeling.” The first of these featured eight girls in pastel outfits, which fit well with the soft and slow sounds of John Mayer. The second of these also had appropriate costumes, exemplified by one dancer who wore a leotard, striped leg warmers, and a bright yellow shirt tied in a knot. With boppy arm movements, high kicks, and big smiles, this dance was extremely well-received by the audience.

In contrast, dances to songs such as Tori Amos’s “Me and a Gun” and Björk’s “Possibly Maybe” took on a darker tone. In the only solo performance of the evening, dancer Kristen Bernard acted out Amos’s a capella lyrics about rape. Unquestionably the most solemn and powerful dance of the night, it silenced the audience, but prompted their appreciative applause at its conclusion.

A few ethnic dances were included in this semester’s show. In both the hula dance “Tiare Oe No Tahiti” and the Irish dance “The Dawning,” the audience was captivated by these traditional styles. Typical of both styles, the dancers’ torsos remained virtually immobile as their active lower bodies captured the audiences’ attention. The hula dancers were especially interactive with the audience, yelling in sync with their Hawaiian music. The Tanah South Asian Dance Troupe also performed an Indian dance, beautifully combining their country’s traditional music and dance style with more modern trends.

Dancers’ Symposium will hold their next show in the fall of 2004. Auditions will be announced early in the semester, and students from all of Carnegie Mellon’s colleges are welcome to try out.

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All of the dancers participating in this semester's Dancers' Symposium take a bow in front of their appreciative audience.	Dancers' Symposium ended on a high note with the audience cheering for dancers in "Fighter," featuring music by Christina Aguilera and Usher.
Decked out in University of Pittsburgh shirts or bright red skirts, dancers in "How We Get Dutch," featuring music by TJ Hooker, Sean Paul, and Missy Elliot, get their groove on during this semester's Dancers' Symposium.	Khalil Snell from CMU's international FreeStylers impresses the crowd Friday night with some amazing break dancing skills.
Dancers leap enthusiastically across the stage to 80's hit "What A Feeling" from the "Flashdance" soundtrack.	"Poppers" delighted audience members with their particularly unique dance style this past Friday night.
The audience was dazzled by a performance to Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life" which was accompanied by a live percussion section.	In "Diva Dance," set to the song by the same name from "The Fifth Element" soundtrack, dancers step on stage from the wings to form a human statue.
Dancing to Björk's "Possibly Maybe," dancers expressed the song's lyrics through tormented hand motions and facial expressions.	The Tahitian dancers of Tiare Oe No Tahiti graced this year's Dancer's Symposium with their island spirit and enthusiasm.
Charles Nyame, at far right, acts as lead singer Andre 3000 in Dancers' Symposium's rendition of "Hey Ya!"	In the only dance at this semester's Dancers' Symposium performed without music, tap dancers in "Acapella" used buckets and hubcaps to create the beats themselves.
During "Pussy Control," dancers pose and await the return of Mistress Appolonia Champagne, played by Jeffrey Loh.	This semester's Dancers' Symposium kicked off with a hip-hop performance to a remix of Stagga Lee, Benzino, and Lumidee.