nterpretations of the quality of life we live these days through the art of dance provided much food for thought for patrons at the premiere night of Connections at the Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s, Port of Spain. The annual major production of the Metamorphosis Dance Company offered several genres of dance, all of them enjoyable and most presenting positive messages, that at once one could interpret the dancers’ movements in relation to the music accompanying them.

One interesting piece was entitled ’Counting’ in which dancer, Chanel Martin Phillips blends monologue with motions through which she portrays a goldfish looking at it’s reflection in the bowl. With the music of Attila the Hun’s ’Graf Zeppelin’

and ’Islands in the Sun’ by the Merryboys, Phillips give a count of the rising murder rate over the decades until she arrives at this year’s total, which on Thursday when the show took place stood at 266.

Although the audience found Phillips’ performance funny during the opening moments of the piece choreographed by Sonja Dumas, when a white blimp appears above the stage and later a tropical scene featuring angel fish and bananas floats down to form the backdrop, people eventually realise that the piece is not about comic relief.

The piece, which is one module of a larger work is an exploration elements that have factored in the degradation of the region over the years. Some patrons even found themselves longingly singing along to ’Island In The Sun’ possibly yearning for those gone old days before the breakdown of society.

Four young men from the Necessary Arts School thrilled the audience with their performance that blended hip-hop with modern, folk and other genres. Choreographed by Gregor Breedy and the dancers themselves the piece entitled ’Sermon on the Rock’ was built on the music of various rap acts. Breedy himself was featured in and also choreographed the piece entitled ’After The Fat Lady Sings, Then What?’ Here, Breedy, Ian and Deon Baptiste execute a number of acrobatic-like moves.

One is moved to wonder how would we survive should there be a worldwide return of the Great Depression of the 1930’s as the dancers perform ’Steps in the Street - Devastation - Homelessness - Exile,’ an excerpt from Chronicle, a work created by Martha Graham in 1936. Dressed in black the dancers move across the stage in motion that brings to mind the rigidness of the Nazi army as well as conjures up imagery of humans turned into zombie-like shells by the desperation that life had become. Graham in fact created the work as protest against the Spanish Civil War and it could have easily been a statement on the middle east today.

The audience came to life when Sat Balkaransingh along with members of the Nrityanjali Theatre, African drummers led by Everald ’Redman’ Watson, Prashant and Sharda Patasar and others including Metamorphosis dancers combined talents to perform, ’Tarana With Visitations of Tap’ as well as ’Drums of the Nation and Tatkar.’ These were originally presented at the Nrityanjali Theatre earlier this year at Queen’s Hall when it also sent the audience wild.

The classical dance known as the Kathak was performed by Balkaransingh and the Nrityanjali Dancers to African drums blended with the tabla, sitar and steelpan. The tap dancers then joined in as the all genres of music represented on stage were blended to create a single intoxicating mixture of rhythm and melodies. The piece brings home the point that although we are all peoples with separate identities, there can be a common rhythmic pulse and common aspiration towards true development and harmonious living.

There 13 pieces presented in Connections, which closes today with the final show beginning at 6:30 pm.