Esor Delivers 'Images' of Perpetual Motion

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

If a great dance show is characterized by the choice of music, vibrantly coloured costumes, creative exploration of spaces and fantastic extension of the body, then Esor Dance Ensemble's 5th season of dance titled Images was a success.

The light banter that rang around the walls of the Little Theatre, creating a carnival-like atmosphere, ended abruptly by an instruction, to stand for the singing of Jamaica's national anthem. A prayer followed, before the large Saturday audience was treated to a feast of perpetual motion.

Choreographer and artistic director, Sandra Rose teamed up with Stephanie Williams, Ortette Beckford, Savanna Lloyd and Dwayne Fullwood to produce a good show opener in the first of the five segments of dances.

Titled Folk Pic Ah Deh Crop and performed by dancers divided into groups that reflected their ages and their experiences, the music for this segment was mainly from the calypso genre; and began with the little ones called Reachers Beginners, performing Rose's Shake it Up. Their lack of uniformity (throughout the programme) in a strange way generated a sense of believability and provided priceless entertainment value.

On the opposite side of the age pendulum the advance dancers called Soarers and Excel were clinical in Pat the Folk (another of Rose's Choreography) and a Fullwood's Ritual.

Segment two was titled Praise - Liturgical Praise. The entertainment value was turned up a notch in movements and costumes but the spotlight was now shared by the fallen hat of a dancer from the opening group, Reachers Advance, in Beckford's Young Worshipper. Again the music and costumes were well chosen and presented.

The strength and beauty of the show came in the third segment titled Modern Contemporary Melting Pot. In addition to Rose and others, the works of choreographers Kareen McLean and Uton K. Vassell were introduced.

Timely and emotional

Vassell's This is Our Stance. Be The Change You Want to See, choreographed to a John Legend sound track, was timely and emotionally connected as the optimistic Beginners captured and executed the search for change. Mclean's The Way of Life will be remembered best for the use of a Buju Banton's track and the black and red clad Reachers Advance dancers.

However, her choreographed Psycho-ordinate, which followed on the heels of Beckford's Sweet Release was thought provoking, well danced and costumed.

Dance of the evening

But the dance of the evening was the show titled dance, Images, choreographed by Beckford and danced by the talented group called Excel. Costumed in army green shade unitards and decorated with orange-coloured patterns, the dance was a demonstration of clinical precision in movements, excellent extension of bodies and fantastic use of props. The many creative use of lifts was one of the hallmarks of this beautiful dance

After a short intermission the programme resumed with an up tempo dose of jazz dances and culminated with a pop segment and the introduction of Taheera Tams choreography of Command, which by choice of music, Waving Flag and costumes, football jersey aided by footballs as props, seemed to be a tribute to the sporting fraternity.

Images concluded with a lively Mclean's choreography, titled Get Low. And an otherwise tightly coordinated show was marred only by the wrong choice of backdrop for the first half of the show and the shedding of pieces of costumes and a few risqué movements.