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The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, specializing in contemporary dance training, put on their annual student showcase called Momentum 2010 at the Winchester Street Theatre. The space is a small venue, seating about 200 people. The seats rise above the dance floor which is on ground level.

The evening program consists of 2 halves, each comprised of 3 dance pieces. Groups of typically 20 students dance 1 piece per half. I found that the size of the groups was the main drawback of the evening.

"Welcome" by Jennifer Dallas opened the show. We are in Lagos city with the sound of Mbira musicians in the air. The dancers act out scenes of play: copying each other's movements, shooting marbles, even kicking a soccer ball. They repeat patterns of movement that flow across the stage. However, when all 18 dancers are onstage, each with their own moves, the chaotic scene was too distracting. My first observation was that these dancers are quite young. I was expecting people in their early twenties but some of the dancers are in their teens.

"aquiver" by Darryl Tracy demonstrates the weakness of so many dancers. A lot of contemporary dance choreography involve fast disparate movements amongst the dancers. This works well with a small group but it becomes, pardon the mixed metaphor, cacophonous with a large group. The work, involving electronic dance beats, club lighting, and recitations from Wikipedia, is at its best when the group move in synchronicity. As any viewers of cheerleading, dance videos, drum corps, and military marches know, there is something thrilling about groups of people moving together with precision.

"Shangri-la Revisited" by Peter Chin mashes up Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and Tibetan Buddhist music to tell the story of a paradise lost. The slower, almost meditative, choreography was to the benefit of the student dancers. The asymmetric gestures had enough space and time to register with the viewers while any synchronized movements stayed cohesive instead of ragged.

After intermission, the first piece was "A Collection of Short Stories" by Massimo Agostinelli. This was the most accomplished and enjoyable of all 6 works. The smaller groupings of trios and duos allowed us to absorb the choreography. As well, the more advanced dancers had room in their pas de deux for exciting lifts and interactions. The final two pieces included the funny, hoe-down inspired "risible shift" by Julia Sasso and "excerpts from En Dedans" by Ginette Laurin. The latter piece had some interesting pas de deux repeating across the stage. It was also amusing to watch them move together with their eyes closed as each dancer takes turn counting out the step.

It was an enjoyable evening watching some young dancers put on a show. Though this school is a vocational school, given the precariousness of making a living doing contemporary dance, I doubt most of these dancers would continue after graduation. Also, though they were all good, very few were truly exceptional. On the other hand, it's a wonderful way to stay healthy, engage your body, and express your creativity. If you are a young man, the female to male ratio of 10 to 1 might tempt you to put on those tights.