In the opening song, the blast of a conch shell introduced three female vocalists whose melody could rival any instrument. Two guitars strummed in the background as the men and women began a synchronized song and dance.
After this vocal introduction, the leader of the troupe translated the song and relayed the legend of the Maori people, making jokes to keep the audience focused.
The dancers arranged two interactive demonstrations, choosing men from the audience and teaching them traditional movements.
The most distinctive part of this performance was its volume; at one point, the troupe asked the audience to repeat after them and when they repeated the phrase back to us, their eight voices were significantly louder than ours.
When they brought the first group of audience participants on stage, they asked for their names and hometowns, emphasizing the importance of representing one's culture and respecting one's roots.
As brave Dartmouth students yelled and danced the best they could, the audience encouraged them with cheers and laughter--familiar sounds to hear inside of a fraternity, but directed at a completely new experience.
Their intimidating war chant turned into joyful, improvised dancing. The leader of the group quipped, "Well I saw a few moves in that dance that I've never seen before," to the giggling audience's delight.
The theme of the night was communication through tradition. Though none of us could understand their lyrics, we could understand their pantomine.
As the performers explained, Maori tribes traditionally communicated through pitch and hand-motions. To intimidate the enemy in war, they would open their eyes widely, to show as much of the whites as possible, and stick out their tongues.
These performance demonstrated a very different way to blow off steam; instead of a pong game or a party, the men were chanting and stomping, reminiscent of the Wednesday-night echoes of Webster Avenue.
William Imbert '09, a member of Bones Gate, enjoyed his time as a Maori dancer. "I'm proud to be part of a fraternity that brings such interesting cultural events to campus," he remarked. "This was a unique learning experience."
At one point in the demonstration, the entire audience swayed and stomped to the guitar strums and vocal hums of the dance troupe. Jennifer Sotsky '10 exclaimed: "We did spirit fingers!" Though these hand gestures were meant to "bring forth the light that flows within each of us," they were strikingly akin to the choreographer's intentions in the movie "Bring it On." Sotsky continued: "I clapped, I sang, it was awesome."
Holding a performance such as a tribal dance in a fraternity was ultimately very fitting. Social spaces are defined as places to blow off steam, and this experience certainly allowed us to yell, sing and dance off the day.
Jane Kurtzman '10, without whom this coverage wouldn't have been possible, reflected on her experience: "I think this kind of event was perfectly suited for a fraternity. I don't think we can ever hope to hold a ballet in the Bones Gate lobby, but this experience proves that the arts and the Greek system can be seamlessly intertwined."
Merritt Jenkins '10, the member of Bones Gate responsible for organizing this event, agreed that it was a successful integration of the arts and his fraternity.
"I think it was really great to bring a Hop performance into a fraternity," he said. "Even if just for an hour, we took a drinking-dominated space and turned it into one which embraces art and culture, attracting a diverse audience. The singing was incredible."
The singing was indeed incredible, and the dances beautiful. It was a very different, but extremely successful experience.
When I asked some of the dancers if there would be an interactive element in their Hopkins Center performance, they looked at me, eyes opened wide and gleaming with pride, "It's a surprise!"
After the performance, Jenkins pulled out a bag of burritos to share with the dancers. Sitting on the edge of the couch with the dance troupe gathered around him, he began to explain the concept of a Dartmouth fraternity over this informal dinner, bringing the evening's cultural exchange full circle.
I highly recommend seeing this one-of-a-kind theater troupe. The Greek system and much of Dartmouth life itself rests on a reverence for tradition, and we have this in common with the Maori dancers.
The Maori Dance Theatre of New Zealand performs tonight at 7 p.m. in the Hopkins Center for the Arts' Spaulding Auditorium.
