Beyond Words II Performance

    This weekend two dance companies in residence at Mercyhurst came together for a weekend of exciting performances.  Mercyhurst Ballet Theatre (MBT) and SoMar Dance Works collaborated on a concert that performed this weekend at the Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center on the Mercyhurst Main Campus.  With a lot of variety and live accompaniment, the concert was a stunning example of the freedom of expression.
    As a member of SoMar Dance Works for the past three years, the Beyond Words concert series for the past 2 years has become one of our main concerts of the school year.  Closing the show in Act II following MBT in Act I, SoMar Dance Works showed off our months of hard work with very creative, contemporary/modern dance styles as opposed to the classical/contemporary ballet that was showcased by MBT.  Everyone in the audience seemed to love our opening piece that consisted on "dancing lights" and commentary that introduced the cast of SoMar onstage.  The next piece fitting in with the Halloween theme for this week contained a humorous story about a mad-scientist, her evil assistant, and a band of zombies, which is the role I played.  Although the the movements we did and the story felt a little silly for us, the audience seemed to like the plot and dance. Amongst many other popular and crowd-pleasing dances that SoMar performed, the finale of the show was a dance called "Ahhh Oooh" which had a Spanish, Latin sense to its movements.  Containing three different sections, this dance was definitely one of the most tiring dances of the concert, but also my favorite. It really showcased how talented and well-diverse the SoMar dancers can be.  All of us are trained in ballet just like the MBT dancers are, taking technique classes each day.  But I think being part of SoMar teaches you how to perform in a different way and makes us more versatile in our repertoire and movement qualities.
    As I am now icing my body as I write this post, it is obvious that the weekend definitely took a toll on my body.  Covered in floor burns, bruises, and muscle fatigue everywhere on my body from the stress it took dancing and performing, I am looking forward to having a little bit more time to breathe, focus on school work, and prepare for finals, both dance and academic finals.  Hopefully most of you got a chance to see the show this weekend!  If not or would like to see more, SoMar Dance Works will be doing their own concert in the spring so standby for more details :)

SoMar Dance Works Company Cast: