Body and mind united during "Human Behavior: Essays in Dance", the Davidson 
Dance Ensemble’s first performance this Spring.  The group’s gestures and movements 
critiqued the human experience and celebrated bodies, displayed in all shapes and sizes.  
The Ensemble, currently showcasing eighteen members, is not limited to a cookie-cutter 
cast; instead, women of various heights and builds visually represent the eclectic 
experiences of the group.  The music echoed this thesis.  Songs ranged from the sensual 
and poetic Sarah McLachlan to the bass-thumping Backstreet and a jarring spoken 
dialogue.  In Hodson Hall music and dance united in a revelry of movement.  The 
development of the diversified essays on stage focused on the human body’s ability to 
articulate meaning through motion.  
      During the first half of the performance "Rejoice," choreographed by Kate 
Bedinger, exhibited grace and sensuality.  The five dancers filled the stage with spins and 
grand jetes to music reminiscent of an Irish jig.  Their continuous movement was 
complemented by the looseness of the black sheath skirting the leotard.  The light fabric 
delicately clung to the bodies and created a mold of the strength hidden beneath.  Much 
of the piece focused on synchronicity and mimicking movement.  This homogeny was 
further unified by circumanbulation.  Each woman danced separately, but united with the 
whole in a circle twice during the performance.  
      Juxtaposed with moments of union, solos and duets focused on the individual 
experience.  Kristen Taylor’s self-choreographed interpretation of Santana’s "Smooth" 
was a seductive tap showcase which even lured one audience member from his seat.  It 
might have been her tight, scantily shaped outfit or the rhythmic riffs and stomp 
combinations of the tap shoes that compelled these actions.  Although this extra dancer 
was intentional, he furthered understanding of human behavior as Taylor’s body language 
shifted between receptive and disinterested.  The courtship of man and woman emerged 
as the extra trapped Taylor in a conventional salsa.  She enjoyed this embrace only  
momentarily before the music regained control of her and dictated the solo tap 
performance.  
      A contrast to this rather seductive piece was "Elsewhere," performed by Joy Gerdy 
and Emily Oldham, in which the dancers mirrored each others’ movements.  The 
tenderness that appeared between the two women through dance reflected the importance 
of friendship and human contact.  Deliberately synchronized layouts, stag leaps, and 
stretches implied a commonality of the female experience.  Moreover, the beauty and 
strength of this piece was not a product of a body on display, but rather the importance of 
companionship.  
      "Apello," choreographed by Julia Philpott, also displayed strength through 
unification as nine women drifted on and off stage and mimicked one another’s 
movements.  The dancers’ slow and deliberate motions further enhanced the piece’s 
fluidity.  The women stretched and bent while crossing the stage in traveling phrases, 
clusters of two to four girls.  The dancers used mimicking movements that were 
separated by a lapse in time.  The dramatic effect was a visual round, like in song, where 
the women were imitating one another while also contrasting their own motions. A line 
of arabesques transformed into steps showcased the strength of the body as the dancers’ 
balance was challenged by each motion.  The timing of this exercise also tested the 
Ensemble’s ability to coordinate and unite despite the limitations of body sizes.  The 
imperfection in the synchronization of this line of movement that passed across the back 
of the stage implies that humans cannot replicate one another’s actions exactly, but that 
experiences can be shared.  
     One of the most disturbing, yet intriguing essays about the human experience was 
"The Well-Oiled Machine," a piece set to a dialogue about society’s substance abuse.  The combination of voice and dance overwhelmed the audience.  Julia Philpott displayed  
"monotonous energy through gestures" through her rapid and exhilarating choreography.  
In jerky, repetitive motions, five performers indicated the invariability of a machine.  A 
glazed, seemingly drug-induced gaze captured the audience as the dancers’ eyes and 
mouths initially opened and closed during the dialogue.  However, their final gestures 
implied an individualized human experience as each woman performed movements 
which best represented her own mood.  As the women seemingly broke from the 
machine, they illustrated that humans have the ability both to conform and separate.  At 
the end of the piece, the dancers shattered the traditional performance space, reversing 
the audience’s watchful gaze by staring back at them through an imaginary lens made by 
the thumb and forefinger.                 
     Human Behavior: Essays in Dance displayed the talent as well as the desires and 
abilities of the human body.  The concluding piece of the performance, "Human 
Behavior," was choreographed by Laura Taylor.  In this piece she hoped to "explore 
human behavior" and examine "certain quirks of imitation, repetition, and individuality 
that compose it."  Initially, women joined on stage in a seductive and unified dance; 
however, this composite group eventually dispersed and became diversified.  Each 
dancer manipulated the body with different leaps, piques, and improvisations to show 
individualism as well as synthesis.  The contrast between union and separation was a 
common theme throughout the Essays in Dance.  The writing style of each performance 
illustrated a diverse and personalized human experience, but the Davidson Dance 
Ensembleís production celebrated the collectivity of human behavior interpreted on 
stage.   

Julia Philpott, current President of The Davidson Dance Ensemble, announced that 
anyone interested in joining the group is welcome.