Canada’s largest university dance festival took centre stage at Hart House Theatre last night.
TORONTO – Hart House’s Festival of Dance delighted and captivated audiences Friday night, kicking off the beginning of a two-day celebration of the University of Toronto (U of T) dance community.
The festival, which has taken place annually since 1995, according to its programme, featured 21 diverse performances and dance styles on its first night, with different performer lineups set for Saturday's matinee and evening shows.
The entertainment began before the fancy footwork even commenced, with upbeat energetic music featuring dance-related lyrics such as “I Feel Like Dancing” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” filling the auditorium to hype up the audience as they took their seats of choice.
While the theatre was not sold out, audience members of all ages, from young children to seniors, loudly expressed enthusiasm for the mix of newbie and veteran festival performers showcasing a variety of cultural dance styles that reflect the diversity of the U of T community.
Kicking off the show was Spicy Vindaloos, a Bollywood and Indo-fusion dance team who performed a highly choreographed high-energy and uplifting routine that received an overwhelmingly positive and vocal audience response.
Other notable performers from the first act included the energetic K-pop student group UTKDC, duo Independent who performed a traditional pas de deux featuring breathtaking lifts and a stunning pink ballerina costume that sparkled in the spotlight and fourth-year student Anna Koski-Harja who performed a fun tap dance choreographed to Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down.”
Arguably the most artistically-captivating performer of the first act was Yaroslava Gorelik who choreographed and performed a contemporary that silenced the audience to a level where you could hear a pin drop.
More dance-themed music filled the theatre throughout the brief intermission while several performers mingled with friends and family members in the audience. Although a few seats were noticeably vacated after the first act, many people stayed for the second.
Highlights from the final act include a highly emotional and vulnerable contemporary from Angela Liao choreographed to Billie Eilish, an almost TikTok-worthy dance from Teresa Wu and Lisa Cheng whose movements remained nearly completely in sync with each other and third-year Earth & Planetary Sciences student Tayah Strong who refreshingly merged the seemingly incompatible worlds of ballet and country music with surprisingly entertaining results.
Concluding the night was the group with the most colourful costumes and perhaps the most enthusiastic audience reception of the night: U of T Bhangra. The visibly happy dancers performed a traditional but vibrant and energetic Punjabi routine that evoked a strong audience reaction including a loud “I love you!” from someone in the back of the room.
The highly entertaining evening was hosted by Noel Daily who provided informative and sometimes humour-laced commentary throughout the nearly two and a half hour run time while performers were preparing backstage.
Audience members were encouraged to attend additional Saturday performances if they liked what they saw Friday night and were thanked for their support of the U of T dance community.