It was 6:58pm on Oct. 14th and as I took my seat in the audience of Morgan Auditorium that Wednesday night, I could feel the anticipation of the audience rising as the lights dimmed. The audio-recorded prompt instructed us to turn off all cellular devices and refrain from any picture taking and/or video recording. Finally, the curtains opened and the excitement was released as the 2009 Dance Alabama! Fall Concert commenced.

For those unfamiliar with Dance Alabama!, let me help you out.

Each semester the Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Alabama hosts a program that showcases dance pieces choreographed by students of the college. The show runs for a week each semester here at the university.

Some students of the featured choreographers in the fall semester's concert were Alicia Thompson, Shatonya Marshall, Kathryn Key, Stephanie Abrams, Ryan Arnold, Jamarious Stewart and Jamal Edwards. The showcase usually includes more than 20 pieces by more than 30 performers.

The opening number, choreographed by Stewart, was titled “The Beat”. The song and moves were adapted from the New York Broadway musical and feature film, Hairspray. Bright colored outfits and energetic dancers flooded the stage. A whirlwind of leaps, turns, and stunts started off the number. The audiences’ ecstatic response to the upbeat opener set the tone for the remainder of the show.

Another intriguing performance was a duet choreographed by a newcomer to the dance department, Ethan Mayo. Mayo and partner, Kathryn Key, lit up the stage with a feisty number simply called, "45". This dance focused on a woman in abusive relationship, victimized by her partner. The female sought revenge against the abuser for pain and suffering. The duo performed with so much intensity and drama that it was hard for the audience not to share in the anger and animosity projecting off of the stage.

Jamal Edwards, a senior graduating in December from the Theatre & Dance Department, has been involved in Dance Alabama! ever since he arrived at the university. Edwards shared that his favorite piece of work would have to be "Love Lockdown". Edwards choreographed and performed the piece in the spring Dance Alabama! concert. Edwards defines dance as “expressive movement of the body and simply making it what ever you want it to be.”

Dance is an art form that we all can relate to. Whether you are the audience or the performer, dance is a freedom and release that we don’t ever have to apologize for. So if you are ever in the mood to see some energetic and well choreographed performances, then Dance Alabama! is just what you are looking for.

Don’t forget to express yourself in everything you do and remember; Don’t just exist, live! Don’t just dream, achieve! Don’t just move, dance!

by Matthew Hutchins