In The News | Oyo Dance Company

10TV’s Sunday Stage

April 9, 2023
Journeys

Loren Bucek, PhD

April 10, 2022 Review of
Carmina Burana

On Sunday, April 10, 2022, I attended the Oyo Dance Company’s Carmina Burana performance in the Black Box Theatre at Inspiration to Movement in Merion Village, Columbus, Ohio. I found myself in a 40+seat dance studio space dressed in black fabric to block out streetlight. Ten stage lights set the soon-to-be dramatic scene. A two-foot square, floor to ceiling beam prominently stood in the center of the performance space. I wondered how this reality would effect the dancers AND the audience.

To my delight, I thoroughly enjoyed Camina Burana and the choreography by Oyo Dance Company member, Alexander Cornejo. Each character was fully developed and performed enthusiastically with great joy, aliveness and dramatic intent by company memebrs – Cornejo, Rachel Nace, Kaitlyn Culp, Elizabeth Knecht, Corey Baker and student dancers Cailyn Daily, Panthea Grace and Lucy Mattes.

An eclectic audience filled the make shift theatre and eagerly showed their support.

Oyo Dance Company has emerged from the COVID pandemic and produced a full-length program on an extremely tight production budget. They did a wonderful job! This company embodies grit and a stick-to-it-iveness. I look forward to seeing more from Oyo Dance Company and will celebrate their return to the main stage when it is fiscally feasible to do so.

Congratulations!

Loren Bucek, PhD

Global Water Dances Columbus