Maybe it's my steep history in the carnival season of Louisiana or simply the exuberant faces of the dancers on stage, but something during the performance made me want to get up and join in on the fun. The Luna Negra Dance Theater's entire performance of Latin and Caribbean influenced modern and ballet dancing communicated emotion, passion, and the sheer joy of self expression. The last number, Batucada Fantastica (1977) choreographed by Vincente Nebrada, celebrated the traditional Carnival season of Brazil with bright costumes, pleasant chaos, and spectacular energy which reminded me of my best dancing days.

When I first began to dance, I was introduced to the rigors and discipline of classical ballet training. I was taught from the tender age of four, that the stage was not a place to goof off and move in whatever fashion the music playing inspired you to. It was a place where you, as a dancer, acted as a piece of the chorographer's vision. Success was doing the exact step that you were supposed to at an exact time, with precise form and grace. It was the goal of the total production to express creativity and passion, not the individual dancers. It was not that passion and emotion were not a factor in my rigorous ballet training, but they always seemed to the wayside of technique and precision.

It was not until I met and studied under a Latin dancer, Javier Juarez, that I realized the potential of passion in dance. I learned to listen to music in whole new way. It was through my introduction to Latin dance that I learned how movement is most powerful as a personal reaction to an event or emotion.

The Luna Negra Dance Theater took this idea of portraying emotion so common in Latin dance and beautifully blended it into ballet and modern dancing. All three of the pieces they performed, "Deshár Alhát", a new piece by the dance company's founder Edwardo Vilaro, "There is a Time" by José Limón, and "Batucada Fantastic" conveyed deep emotion and energy. "Deshár Alhát" focuses on the loss and oppression of the Spanish, Moorish, and Jewish peoples. There were sharp contrasts between the different recurring motions in the piece. It seemed to highlight not only the struggles and tragedies of these peoples, but also their determination through the reoccurring repetition of some motions throughout the piece. "There is a Time" was chosen as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the creation of the piece by José Limón. It is inspired by Chapter Three of Ecclesiastes and focuses on twelve "times" or events common in life from birth through death. There are twelve dancers which represent the twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes and who move in and out of a common circle symbolizing the community present throughout time. The final piece, "Batucada Fantastica", is inspired by the Brazilian Carnival season and features the music of steel drums, whistles, and traditional cultural instruments such as the Berimbau, a simple, single string instrument commonly used to provide the music for the Afro-Brazilian art form Capoeria. The piece opened with eight energized solos and closed with one chaotic, but pleasingly so, large ensemble very reminiscent of the craziness of the New Orleans Mardi Gras that I am so familiar with. The dancers seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves during this piece, and their exuberant energy and enthusiasm seemed to make its way into the audience.

I feel that the Latin and Caribbean influences of Luna Negra have led them to perform even traditional pieces with additional emotion. There was a certain heightened energy carried throughout the entire performance, even though the emotions communicated were very different from piece to piece. There was intensity in the production that the audience could behold. I have always enjoyed watching dance where you can see joy on the faces of the dancers as they explore the music, choreography, and emotion of every movement, and this performance definitely fit that ideal. Luna Negra's performance explored nearly every emotion that can be evoked by dance in three contrasting, but very complementary pieces.