This past weekend, Miller Concert Hall at Wichita State had a full house for this year’s Kansas Dance Festival, presented by the School of Performing Arts Dance Program. 

For two nights, WSU dance students, along with performers from Kansas State University, were given the opportunity to display their exquisite talents with a variety of dance styles.

The opening dance number of the show, titled “Electric Nights,” was performed in complete darkness, utilizing a backlight to illuminate the dancers in unitards. One of the best effects of the whole show was making the dancers appear to have no upper body and other dancers having no lower bodies. 

To me, this felt like a really good opening credits sequence to film. It drew me into the possibilities of what was to come and I was ready for more.

Highlights from the evening included a Latin inspired dance called “Ode to Carlos,” where guest vocalist/percussionist, Santiago Ybarra, played a captivating rendition of “Black Magic Woman” by Santana on congos. 

As Ybarra kept the beat going, the beautifully dressed dancers filled the stage with all of the mesmerizing steps and moves Latin dance offers. Of course, the dance was complemented by thunderous applause.  

Typically, one thinks of dance being reserved for feelings of happiness and joy. However, many dances are used to effectively evoke feelings of sorrow, just like the differences between comedy and drama. A couple of the dances for the night made me see that side of dance. 

One of them was titled “Journey Down a Path…” utilizing music from composer Clint Mansell, who does the film scores for the works of film director Darren Aronofsky. This was a really beautiful piece with fine choreography that was backed up by a fantastic display of lightning design. 

The show ended with a bang, in the form of ballet based skit, set to Amilcare Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours.” Hilarious antics endured, including a flamboyant ballet master who appeared out of the audience, a pair of bickering French and Russian choreographers, and even a moment when a male dancer touched the prima ballerina, which led, of course, to him getting slapped. 

The art form of dance is something that I have always admired; due to the heavy amount of concentration and dedication it takes to effectively engage the audience on an emotional level. Everyone involved in this year’s Kansas Dance Festival played to their fullest potential and left their audiences, including myself, completely mesmerized by their talents.