By JORDAN MCLEMORE
Student Reporter
Wrapping up the Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series was Perpetual Motion, an Oklahoma based non-profit dance company. They were founded in 2002 and have grown to incorporate premier modern and aerial dance. They are known for their innovative choreography and three-dimensional performances.
The dance company encompasses the minds and imaginations of humans. Perpetual Motion performs the works of nationally-acclaimed artists. They are the first company in Oklahoma to include aerial dance. This dance company began the Annual Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival in 2006. This festival brings local dancers and choreographers for a series of rehearsals and classes. This unites the various members of the dance community in Oklahoma.
Irene Messoloras, the general manager of the concert series, introduced the dancers to the Northwestern stage. Each dance had a different makeup between the dancers, and each dance had a different theme.
The act opens with the full cast of dancers, seven in all, who dominate the stage with their hypnotic moves, set against a stark backdrop with melancholy music playing. Their synchronized movements revolved around each other and used a ladder as a prop in this particular dance. There were many aerial dances; some with scarves hung from the ceiling and some using a metal contraption that they used to climb on and move around while spinning.
These dancers aren’t the carbon-copy ballerinas you might be thinking of. They are all of different ethnicities and body types, with different hair and visible tattoos. These are real women, portraying the everyday emotions we go through as humans. They are clearly changing the public’s view on modern dance. Many of the dancers have been working together for many years, contributing to their obvious chemistry on stage and the control they have over their bodies.