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Idaho Dance Theatre
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Sitting in a sparsely filled Special Events Center on the opening night of the Idaho Dance Theatre’s spring show, I was more than a little embarrassed that people at BSU had yet again failed to give heed to the call of the arts. Yes, I was far more than a little poo-pooed that so many of us in this cultural oasis we call Boise State chose to forgo yet another night of the aesthetic.
Just kidding (or am I?). But seriously, if you missed these four nights of performance, you missed out in a big way. But I’m sure you had more important things to do, such as play videogames, watch TV, or go to the clubs which are so dramatically life-altering and uplifting that I bet you spent the better part of the morning after staring at your ceiling, contemplating how much Advil you could fit inside your stomach without resorting to the emergency room pump.
And if you did go to any one of the shows, well, good for you for supporting your local, hardworking, too often ignored, calloused, bruised, overstretched, overworked dancers.
After contemplating the show, I am left with one impression regarding the dancers: They must work out. Man, I was completely blown away by the control these dancers had over their bodies. And for the most part I was in awe by how the choreography took me away as I watched the dancers move in ways I have seen only in dreams. I was impressed at the skill that each dancer displayed, realizing that many of the dancers are BSU students with incredible workloads to add to their highly demanding performance schedule.
To comment on each dancer would take too long. But every dancer added his or her own grace to the music, well-chosen for each individual piece. I salute each dancer. However, a few individual dancers do come to mind. And these dancers win the award of appearing in The Arbiter – a high accomplishment by any standard: Mariko Reid stands out for her stage presence alone, Yurek Hansen’s power and poise set a standard, and Jessica Bastow’s control and elegance made me want to dance.
In all it was among the best evenings I’ve had as a writer for this paper. It was inspiring, beautiful, and at times, magical.
Joe Firmage
Culture Writer