Dance, like most art, is partly an endeavor to delude, a kind of illusion, making something that appears to be sublime out of movements that are extremely hard to perform and often require distortions of what is natural for a body to do. Kalopsia, a Greek word that literally means beautiful sight, but has taken on the meaning of a “Delusion that things appear more beautiful than they really are.” Either way, it was a fitting title for UCSB Dance’s spring concert. Beyond the illusion of ease to perform, subjects of the 7 works in the program by graduating BFA students dealt with some beauty and delusions of the human condition in these times of artifice and cultural superficiality, some celebrating what really is beautiful, like that tricky one called love, others exploring darker aspects of life and society. Kudos to choreographers Jacqulyn Buglisi, Patricia Martin, Mica Moody Dianne Robleza, Moira Saxena, Bianca Salazar and Kate Winans, lighting designer senior Mitchell Kakubka and director Brandon Whited, as well as faculty members Vickie J. Scott and Ann Bruice who oversaw lighting and costumes.
