Complete with a stellar line-up of Bermudian and international dancers the Bermuda Dance Company's third annual performance was as dynamic as it was professional.

Under the artistic direction of Suzette Harvey, the cast of fifteen dancers joined by five male guest dancers from the Nathan Trice Company lit up the stage with the energy and enthusiasm of world- class dance talent.

The hours of practice and original choreography was evident throughout the eight modern dance selections performed to contemporary music by Aretha Franklin and Bossa Mundo.

Suzette Harvey isn't afraid to push the envelope when it comes to dance. An audience who attends a Bermuda Dance Company performance can expect to see a diverse line-up of dancers who deliver the beauty of dance in all its forms with some much appreciated style and spice.

It is Ms Harvey's goal to continually expose local dancers with the Bermuda Dance Company to overseas talent. The result is that collaborative performances of this nature raise not only the standard of dance among Bermudians, but include sorely needed male dancers in the performance. Young Bermudian men who are somewhat hesitant about stepping into the world of dance should watch the Nathan Trice dancers, a New York based company started by dancer and choreographer Nathan Trice in 1998.

Their cutting edge style and talent was evident as they ran on to the stage in the finale "Soulful Sensations" and drew almost immediate rounds of applause from the audience.

At times certain selections emphasised drama over dance, a choice that modern dance choreographers often make to allow the dancer the opportunity to communicate mood and emotion.

However, technique is sometimes lost in the obvious emotion the dancers must express without words, leaving drama to take precedence over movement and form.

This was what happened in "Diaries", where to the back drop of a blood red curtain and music by Bjork, Tara Pasquarelo spends more time extending her arms and legs back and forth in punches of frustration than she does showing us the physicality of movement for which modern dance is so revered.

Although a chair is strategically placed to support the outpouring of emotion, I couldn't help wishing she would get off the floor or the chair and show us some of her moves.

Several other selections were attention riveting, particularly the dancing of Nathan Trice and Kiera Martin in "Blued" and Bermudian dance talent Shomeiko Ingham, who joins choreographers Kevin Malone and Cara Surico in directing "Duets".

It was enjoyable to watch some of the classic techniques they used to capture the audience's attention, especially the occasional breaks in the music that highlighted the sounds of dancers movements against a backdrop of silence.

Details were also carefully planned out in this performance. Coloured lighting was used in the show to portray the mood of the dancers, and at others to black out the details of their faces and bodies, allowing the audience to enjoy the purity of rhythm and movement.

Overall, the show was an achievement for which Suzette Harvey, Nathan Trice, and all the dancers involved should take great pride in a fantastic production.

Eloisa Mayers