Despite a small fire during their final performance, Fusion Dance Company presented a stylistically diverse and unceasingly energetic 36th Annual Spring Show last weekend.
The show’s performances ranged from thoughtful to light-hearted, including several short comedic interludes. Fusion also utilized diverse styles of music and dance, including modern, hip-hop and jazz. “That’s typical of Fusion shows, but I think this year we had really strong pieces,” said Megan Gessner ’20, one of Fusion’s dancers and choreographers. She commented on the amount of spoken word used in the musical accompaniment to a few of this year’s performances. “A lot of people are trying to see how dance and prose or poetry can represent two sides of the same idea,” she said. The production also included choreography by an alum as well as a collaboration with Impulse, another student dance company.
The performance Saturday night ended early because of a small electrical fire backstage, but Gessner said that “one of the greatest things to come from this weekend is the spirit that Fusion kept up even after a fire happened.”
“The connection that we have among our group … really is tangible,” Gessner added, “stretching all the way back to when Paula Franklin established the company in 1983.”
Fusion shows are choreographed by students and alums, which has remained one of the company’s traditions since its inception. Gessner choreographed two pieces in the show, a group piece titled “North Park” and a solo performed by Aisha Zamor ’19 called “Adore You.” The former, set to the song “Save Room” by John Legend, was inspired by the feeling of nostalgia, Gessner said. “Something triggers in your memory, and you remember what it was like to be another version of yourself in the past, … and it washes over you. When I heard the song ‘Save Room’ this summer, that happened to me,” she added. Gessner also explained that she wanted to explore duet choreography within this piece.
At the performance on Friday night, Amber Morse ’22 called the show “a really good introduction to dance at Brown” and remarked that she enjoyed seeing choreography by students. “I didn’t know what to expect because they do all their own choreography, but … it shows that they put a lot of effort and energy into making it really good,” Morse said. Fusion member Ava Garfinkel ’22 pointed out the flexibility in performing student choreography. “Because it’s student run, I like how relaxed it is in that there are no rules in what you’re allowed to present,” Garfinkel said.
