Synergy

GRACE NALTY FINDS HERSELF STUNNED AT THE TOGETHERNESS OF UCLU DANCE SOCIETY

Synergy is UCLU Dance Society’s 30th annual show, and showcases the diverse range of dance styles within the society. It laid out its motives from the get go: to demonstrate how the dynamic scope of colours and values in the word can come together in a synergising flurry of bodily movement. The large cast performed a wide variety of dance, from hip-hop to salsa, and the addition of Indian and African influence made for an entertainingly varied two hours.

The opening number was full on, showcasing the different styles and setting the scene for the rest of the show. Some of the choreography in later dances was amazing, there was this whole costume change and arm wave thing going on that literally blew my mind. I was like ‘say what gurrrrrrl’ to the empty seat next to me – which was actually really weird because the Bloomsbury Theatre was rammed with people.

Dance routines like ‘I am a woman’ filled me with beyonce-esque girl power, despite the fact that some placement errors made the sassy t-shirt reveal at the end of ‘I am woman’ turn into ‘I am woamn’. I am not woamn.

Having only seen one other dance show, in the UCL Quad Marquee which underwhelmed me with its tiny confines, the Bloomsbury Theatre really gave the show a professional and sleek vibe. Each performance had a groovy lighting show to accompany, giving each dance a personality.

It’s hard to pin point stand out performances because each one was great, but the Tap and Ballet performances definitely managed to expel any preconceived notions of a ‘boring’ dance style. And later, when people started to break dance to One D, I was sold. In my official arts reviewer notepad, I wrote ‘don’t even I love one d’. Don’t even Dance Soc.

As well as dancing, there was a teensy bit of singing. It was magical, got me all tense and moody, ready for a dance voyage. Talking of voyages, I think I am having my own personal voyage towards understanding contemporary dance. If you read the last dance show review I did, I spoke about how little I got contemporary dance and how I thought it was just one of those things we all accepted but no one understood, but since then I have turned a new leaf. I’ve come to learn it’s like watching someone trying to tell a story, but instead of using words they use their body. I totally got it. People around me were having a little snigger at the screaming male dancers in one of the performances and all I could think was ‘guys, it’s called contemporary dance. Look it up, you’ll find it under the definition of ‘intense’’.

Was the final Bhangra performance the best dance to ever grace the planet? Yah. It was.

In this dismal period of essay deadlines and unbelievable mountains of stress, it is nice to take an uplifting break and see something that isn’t the greyish interior of the library. It is well worth seeing this show before it ends, for a synergising and humorous experience. Here I am, giving out five stars again. UCL has some talent at the moment.

★★★★★

Synergy runs until Saturday 14th of March, with performances at 19:30 daily. 

Images: UCLU Dance Society