In celebration of MODfest 2025, the Vassar Repertory Dance Theater (VRDT) presented a series of pieces at the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater on Feb. 7 to reflect this year’s theme, “Discovering Uncertainty.” The show included a mixture of improvised movement and choreography done by staff, students and guest performer Parul Shah of the Parul Shah Dance Company. Together, the performance celebrated degrees of spontaneity within movement, subverting traditional techniques to create a new take on classical and contemporary dance. The auditorium was filled with students, friends and family, as well as President Bradley and her husband, who had all ventured out on an icy evening to witness VRDT’s contribution to the MODfest agenda.
After a short introduction from VRDT Director John Meehan, the show began with a piece created by Faculty Choreographer Lisa Harvie entitled, “Trip the Light,” which opened on a mock New York City subway car complete with an MTA voiceover and the sound of screeching tracks. The piece followed the story of one dancer, Dana Tagliaferro ’25, as they entered and experienced the dazzling and sometimes dark world of show business, incorporating music from Broadway shows like “Chicago,” “A Chorus Line,” “Pippin” and “Hamilton”—earning small giggles from the audience as they recognized the familiar tunes. At one point, the stage lights flipped to shine on the audience as if to play with the location of the performers and onlookers, exemplifying the subversion of “artistic values” and “narrative structure and perspective in fiction” highlighted by this year’s Modfest theme, as described on the event’s website. I especially enjoyed the flashy costumes, scarf and hat props, and how the choreography for each of the songs took inspiration from the original shows without being identical—staying true to a coherent story for the lead dancer.
The next piece, “Mali MuSik,” was choreographed by Resident Choreographer Steve Rooks to songs “Dolla, Sit Down for This” and “Heart’s Song” by Mali Music and included solos from Jacob Geiger ’25 and Olivia Sparks ’26. Sparks’ spotlighted solo was especially impressive, and a fun demonstration of the power of lighting in the evening’s performances. To follow, VRDT Assistant Director Leslie Sach’s piece “Weight of Influence” played with a contrast of shadows, including dark costumes (by faculty member Carolyn Pallister-Kullic) and the songs “Memory Loop #2: Stray/Drift” by KINBRAE and “Reshimo: Banim Banot ii” by Ran Bagno to provide a ticking backdrop for a walking “wall” of dancers that break in and out of line, as if spontaneously.
“March March,” choreographed by Lisa Harvie in collaboration with the VRDT dancers, was mentioned in Director Meehan’s introduction as a prime example of MODfest theme incorporation. The piece combined moments of structured dance as well as improvisation to allow the dancers to play and create while accompanied by an original, jazz-inspired score composed and performed live by percussionist Angel Lau. Dancers tagged each other in and out and “played” a short game reminiscent of duck, duck, goose, carefully weaving in improvisation to create seamless transitions. To match the pace of Lau’s playing, they adopted sharper movements as the accompanying sounds became more rapid.
Next, visiting performer and Kathak dancer Parul Shah performed “all that lies,” a piece that, according to Shah’s program description, “Is a call to reclaim identities that the Western gaze has historically defined and controlled. Shedding light on the little-known story of the first Indian dancers to perform in America as part of a comedic opera called ‘Zanina,’ this work examines how colonialism and Orientalist tropes sit deep within the perception of Indian classical dance in America.”
Aligning with the subversive nature of “Discovering Uncertainty,” the piece incorporated a voice-over by Shah which described the story of the Indian dancers that performed in late 19th century New York City but were sent away because they did not meet audience “expectations.” Her movements were also accompanied by the song “Raga Bhairavi: Shweta Jhaveri” and live cellist Jake Charkey, an acclaimed musician in the Hindustani and Western classical styles. Shah’s spoken and physical performance illustrated a lack of accurate representation of Indian classical and contemporary dance among Western audiences, both historically and in the modern day within her own experiences learning and performing. Despite being personally unfamiliar with the technical aspects of schools of dance, the spoken and musical accompaniment helped to emphasize Shah’s message alongside her rhythmic footwork and powerful use of hand gestures which matched the ebb and flow of her story. Invited as a part of the Global Dance Initiative, Shah will return later in the semester to teach Indian dance to the students of VRDT.
To follow, the pieces “Destiny Risen,” choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie, and “Periapsis,” choreographed by VRDT student Cecilia Kittross ’26, rounded out the show before a triumphant finale. Grand Moultrie’s piece played with a quick pace and extended leaps, as well as colorful, flowing costumes, while Kittross’s piece experimented with repetition and more avant-garde style using the songs “Ascension” by Berlioz and “街のどこかで (Somewhere in the City)” by Toe— which were some of my favorites of the night.
The Finale was an exciting, playful piece set to Lady Gaga’s “Applause,” choreographed and performed by the VRDT Company. The audience clapped along as the company danced in front of backgrounds and wore costumes that were color-coordinated by class year. As the curtain closed and the dancers were slowly blocked from view, there was one final celebratory improv session to close out the evening— yet another reminder of the “creative uncertainty” centering MODfest as well as a fun expression of the dancers and how much they evidently enjoyed performing in and creating such a wide variety of pieces. The final number allowed the audience to express their appreciation for the night of performances, too.