Before taking the stage, Mississippi: The Dance Company warmed up with a series of energetic exercises and stretches to get ready for the evening’s performance. Nervous laughter bounced off the walls, and an electric energy filled the auditorium.
Over the weekend, the dance company performed its concert titled “Crossing Borders.”
Mississippi: The Dance Company is a resident modern dance company that began at Ole Miss in 1983. Its primary focus is modern dance, but its performances often include several other forms of dance, as well.
Mississippi: The Dance Company performs Crossing Borders during a dress rehearsal in Meek Auditorium on Wednesday. Photo by Marlee Crawford
This year’s theme drew inspiration from Ole Miss’ newfound relationship with the Malpaso Cuban Dance Company.
Jennifer Mizenko, the director of Mississippi: The Dance Company since 1989, said the “Crossing Borders” theme is identifiable from many different angles.
“I think ‘Crossing Borders’ can mean a lot of different things. Obviously, it has to do with the literal idea that we went to Cuba,” she said. “But besides that, each piece has some sort of metaphorical idea of crossing the borders of a challenge.”
The eight pieces, each beautifully unique, paint a cohesive masterpiece of human connection, struggle, joy and redefinition of societal norms.
Several pieces stuck out for their eccentric choreography and athleticism. The first was the second number of the show, titled “To be/right here, right now/with you,” choreographed by senior Victoria Burrow.
The piece highlighted the nature of human connection. The dancers’ bodies twisted among each other in a somber yet compelling number that conveyed the beauty of intimacy and raw emotion of the human experience.
“It’s about relationships with people that you create and how you can connect with people on a really personal level,” Burrow said. “It’s really about personal connection.”
Mississippi: The Dance Company performs Crossing Borders during a dress rehearsal in Meek Auditorium on Wednesday. Photo by Marlee Crawford
Burrow, who has been dancing with the company since her freshman year, said she loves the opportunity the group gives to student choreographers to express their inner creativity through dance.
“The fact that we are able to create pieces for the show is something that is unique to this company,” she said. “It gives us an outlet to create pieces, which is really cool.”
Another student-choreographed piece, titled “Ease My Mind,” by senior Courtney Borserine, focused on how dance can empower women to be fierce and strong. The number featured intense red and white lights flashing all around the dancers as they demonstrated the piece’s strength and athleticism. The costumes were all black and simple, giving off an edgy vibe that echoed the piece’s theme.
Mizenko’s piece in the show, “Restricted,” is rooted in being held back by something and overcoming that adversity. The number began with a serious tone, then twisted into a humorous 1970s-esque piece with elaborate costumes and lighting.
The inspiration for the dance came from one of Mizenko’s own struggles with being restricted.
“I had major surgery on my ankle, and it’s really restricting how I move in terms of dance,” she said. “The piece is literally about feeling restricted and how to overcome that.”
The final piece of the show, “Definiendo a Carmen” by Osnel Delgado, artistic director of Malpaso Dance Company, was a product of the company’s study abroad experience and the residency by Malpaso Dance Company at Ole Miss. Delgado found inspiration in “Carmen,” a famous opera by Georges Bizet, and he created his own arrangement of the piece.
Mississippi: The Dance Company performs Crossing Borders during a dress rehearsal in Meek Auditorium on Wednesday. Photo by Marlee Crawford
“He manipulated the piece and created something that seeks to understand what is the new Carmen. Who is she and what is she like?” Mizenko said.
After watching the show, Max Doolittle, a faculty member at the university, said the performance was a diverse, entertaining concert filled with exciting moments.
“I came in knowing nothing about the show, but I enjoyed having the full spectrum of dance. There was a little bit of everything,” he said.
The simple costumes and exquisite lighting accompanied each number in a way that enhanced the experience of each well-choreographed piece. Mizenko said the concert was meant to communicate with and impact the audience.
“Dance is the very first form of communication. Before we could speak, write or sing, all we could do was move, and that is how we communicate,” Mizenko said. “When we see dance live, there’s a visceral response that no other art form can touch if we allow ourselves to be open to it. You can’t explain it, but it just hits you.”
