Marking the 33rd creative collaboration, the UI Dance Program, Lionel Hampton School of Music Percussion and the DDD Ensemble performed DancersDummersDreamers. DDD was founded in 1991 by Diana Walker and Dan Bukvich. The first show was on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. and closing night was on Saturday, March 23 at 7 p.m. It took place at the Hartung Theater at the University of Idaho. The production consisted of 14 pieces that had an abstract setting. Throughout the show, the dancers, percussionists and ensemble alternated sets with a small band accompanying each performance.
The music is composed by faculty and students in the music program. The composers and dancers work closely together until the week of the show, when they begin work with the DDD ensemble. The production began with an overture performed by the DDD Ensemble, followed by a dance named “Think Pink” performed by the entire cast of dancers. The dancers all performed with smiles and energy that felt contagious.
Some audience favorites were the tap-dancing routines, “Rhythmic Rendezvous” and the cleverly named “Feet Beat.” The dancers were very skilled and clearly enjoyed performing their pieces.
“When the tap shoes came out, they were really mesmerizing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them,” Paul Parmeley, a freshman majoring in Journalism with a minor in Creative Writing, said.
Right after the last tap routine, the percussionists performed “Boomwacker Medley,” another audience favorite as all the songs in the medley were popular tunes.
“Second Perfect Number” was a fun piece because the choreography details were projected on the screen behind the ensemble members. This allowed the audience to follow along and see the individual steps. It was like watching behind the scenes of the production.
The DDD Finale included the entire cast of music and dancers and ended the show with a bang.
“As someone who isn’t a percussionist, it’s really inclusive,” Emily Abramson, a junior studying Secondary Education and ensemble member of DDD, said. Her favorite part of the production was the way the communities of dancers and percussionists came together.
“The dancers and percussionists are so in awe of each other!” Abramson said. The whole group is very encouraging and respectful of one another, making for a great environment to share passion for the stage and for the audience to enjoy a good show.
Elizabeth Bourassa, a sophomore studying Theatre Arts and Secondary Education, performed in DDD as a dancer. “My favorite part is when we really get into it and we’re all making connections with each other or when we’re just in the mood,” Bourassa said.
There were many difficult aspects of learning the parts of DDD. For Bourassa, she said that it was the cleaning and nitpicking as the show drew closer. When asked about preparing for DDD, she joked that “showing up on time if you try…if you’re paying attention” was the easiest part.
If you missed the live production, not to worry! You can still order tickets for the virtual event online at https://uitickets.evenue.net/events/DANCE from March 25 until April 1.
Sierra Rode can be reached at [email protected]