After four exhausting performances, two weeks in residency, and numerous Hop sightings, Mikhail Baryshnikov, noted Russian ballet dancer, has certainly left an indelible mark on the artistic community here at Dartmouth -- treating the campus to some of the highest caliber dancing in many years.
The performances showcasing Baryshnikov's own troupe, the White Oak Dance Project, began with a emotional piece titled "Journey of a Poet."
Choreographed originally by Erick Hawkins, a world-renowned dance choreographer and recipient of the National Medal of
Arts, the piece featured the entire ensemble. Often charged and sporadic, the piece symbolized the often precarious life of a poet whose thoughts are sometimes fleeting and whose career may be difficult to maintain.
"Septet" featured six dancers from the troupe in a set which unlike the first and the last contained many classical elements. Dancers were often choreographed together.
"Remote" choreographed by Meg Stewart which premiered this weekend was a modern dance tour-de-four representing both chaos and unity.
