Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Wrath and Pride. A clever and powerful concept exploring the conflicts we all face at some point in our lives. Dance Expose took us on a thought-provoking journey through each of these sins, showcasing a variety of dances ranging from ballet and tap, to hip-hop and street.
The scene was dramatic from the outset, with a soloist performance to The xx- Intro. The use of storytelling, which followed throughout all of the dance performances, was both entertaining and impressive. In particular, the temptation to succumb to the sins was cleverly represented by dancer (and excellent actress may we add) Grace Baylis, taking a bite into an apple. Different coloured ribbons further symbolised each of the seven sins.
The opening section ‘Sloth’, effectively portrayed laziness with dancers beginning and ending a contemporary dance sequence underneath bed sheets. A particular favourite of ours within this section was ‘Papaoutai’, an upbeat dance and real crowd pleaser, due to the combination of rigid motions and impressive high kicks.
The second theme, ‘Envy’ combined a variety of different dances varying from contemporary to hip-hop. The level of energy in the tap dance to ‘Intoxicated’ was particularly impressive, with each dancer wearing a different number on their costume- perhaps to demonstrate the competitive nature of envy.
Gluttony was a definite favourite of ours, and the crowd seemed to agree with us given their loud response. Dance Expose explored the over-indulgences that we are all too familiar with; the RnB number ‘Royals’ reminded us of our love for all things big and sparkly, with an array of ‘blingy’ accessories, flashing lights and extremely sassy movements. ‘Lollipop’ summed up our love for all things sweet, whilst ‘Hangover’ represented an indulgence all us students can sympathise with. That said, we can’t say we have as much energy as Dance Expose after a night out!
Lust was a mixture of passion filled, emotional contemporary duets and sassy group dances. Beyonce’s ‘Crazy in Love’ saw dancers strutting their stuff in black leotards. A highlight for us was the very talented Kyle Cook miming Queen B’s ‘Why don’t you love me?’ Kyle gets a special mention from us as one of the most versatile dancers- featuring in the vast majority of performances. How he managed to remember it all we just don’t know!
‘Greed’ was another popular section with the audience, as an honest representation of the problems money can cause. The performance to ‘Busy Earnin’’ cleverly told a ‘Wolf of Wall Street’-type story- with dancers stressed in business attire against a New York backdrop. Rihanna’s ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ was another highlight, with more sass and flashing lights.
A tap solo by Samantha Ellis marked the start of a very fiery ‘Wrath’ section.
It’s safe to say we were completely amazed by her talent, as she danced completely without music- letting her feet do the talking! A series of fierce, powerful dances followed, with Dance Expose proving exactly how they’ve earned their amazing reputation.
The final sin ‘Pride’ kicked off with an amazing solo from Lili Prodanova appropriately dancing to Beyoncé’s ‘Ego’. We were particularly impressed with the duet from Liv Khan and Lynton WIlliams; the pair danced in perfect synchronization throughout the contemporary piece, featuring some breathtaking lifts- at one point he manages to turn her round entirely! ‘I’m worth it’ was also a firm favourite for different reasons. The R&B number opened with three troupes competing in a dance off, eventually joining together- it was evident that each and every dancer gave it their all throughout.
Finally, the show ended in a symbolic nature, taking the crowd back to the beginning with the same solo dancer. This time, the girl was removing the ribbons from her arms, with each ribbon representing one of the seven deadly sins; a clever way to end the show and bring the theme together.
Overall, Dance Expose put on an amazing show with a wide variety of dance styles that we could not fault, and an interesting story to go with it. If you were foolish enough to miss it, make sure you put the date in your diary for next year!
Photos: all images were provided by Tyron Louw Photography.