Enter the Vortex

Currently in just its third season, the Dream Dance Co. is the brainchild of Marko Panzic, who has choreographed for such spectacular shows as “So You Think You Can Dance”.  Panzic uses the company both to provide commercial dance with a profile and as a commercial outlet for the dancers’ talents.  In Enter the Vortex, the Dream Dance Co. uses an intense hour of nonstop dance drama to showcase individual and ensemble dance talent in a dozen short narratives expressing love, power, conflict, insight, magic, and sexuality.  One dance even incorporated a magic act.

To an audience whose average age was in the twenties, it was a combination with evidently tremendous appeal: the response was wildly enthusiastic from start to finish.

Part of the show’s appeal lies in its driving soundtrack.  But much of the credit must go to the show’s choreographer, Sarah Boulter.  Fresh dance moves did much to convey Boulter’s fresh imagery and concepts, and the entire troupe maintained a consistently rigorous discipline in unison steps, whether in pairs or a dozen at a time, rarely seen outside the top classical dance companies.  The dancers themselves were in top form, with energy, strength, and grace to spare.  The entire performance was polished and engaging.  It was let down only by the soundtrack’s nearly constantly hazardous volume.  With hearing protection, dance enthusiasts of any age will take something interesting from this high-energy show.

John P. Harvey