Everday tedium inspires a captivating and interactive performance

We associate feet with shoes, socks, walking and even odor, but they are not generally associated with art — and yet the Synergy Dance Company has defied connotations of mundanity and reminded their audiences of the human foot’s artistic potential.

On Jan. 21, the company put on a show titled “Recapture” at the Orem Public Library which was part of a series put on by the Orem Arts Council in an effort to exhibit local artists and art forms.

The performance not only showcased the choreography of Amy Markgraf-Jacobson and Angie Banchero-Kelleher, the company’s artistic directors, it also provided the opportunity for the company dancers to put together pieces of their own to be performed.
The performance was very family friendly, keeping the children in the audience thoroughly engaged while still entertaining the parents. What set these dance numbers apart was their relevance to everyday life. One piece was centered around the domestic chore of doing laundry while another was about driving, both things that many of us do on a daily basis.

“They are based on everyday experiences that everyone does, and we take them and make them abstract and into art. They come from human experience; they really reflect what it is to be human,” said Amy Markgraf-Jacobson.

Synergy Dance has also created a way for students to teach and inspire through the power of dance. Their performance last week was very interactive and educational. The audience was taught how different movements that we use everyday can be put to music and become dance.

“This event was a lecture demonstration, done to educate and teach people what dance is, and what dance is all about. With kids we like to make it interactive,” Markgraf-Jacobson said.

They showed the audience how different shapes can be made with the body and even brought children from the audience up on stage to teach them how easy it is to make those shapes.

They also demonstrated  how to express different energies and emotions through dance, and explained that it offers another way to express ourselves, whether it be anger, happiness, excitement or sadness.

Most of the company dancers began dancing at the age of four, and a few started in college. They practice between six and seven hours a day, and the consistent hard work was made evident through the course of their astounding performance.