Dancing is an incredibly expressive art form that, when choreographed cleverly, can be used to tell rich stories that touch you on a deeply emotional level.
There’s no need to tell a story through spoken word when you can express everything through movement. But it takes a great dancer to be able to successfully pull this off.
The Mather Dance Company features some of the most talented performers in the industry.
The company was established in 2009, led by world-renowned choreographer, Shannon Mather, and has been educating artists in all disciplines of dance since then.
Only the best dancers get into the Mather Dance Company – including Scott Alexander, Riley Kurilko, and Madelyne Spang.
These dancers put on the performance of a lifetime in the 2016 Hall of Fame Dance Challenge – and it’s a must-watch.
The story of the dance is immediately clear from the start: the three dancers are locked in a love triangle.
When the music begins, Madelyne and Riley sit back-to-back, while Scott faces Madelyne, his knees pressed against hers.
Madelyne lays her head on Scott’s knee, but he lifts her arm back towards Riley, and she elegantly backward-rolls over Riley’s shoulders and onto his lap.
Now it’s Riley’s turn to embrace Madelyne while Scott can only look on in jealously.
If you’re looking for the true meaning of “performance”, you’ll find it here. The dancers are acting as much as they’re dancing, conveying to the audience the desperation of being caught in a love triangle.
The dance is fittingly choreographed to Ryan Amador’s “Instead”, which details the heartbreak of learning that the person you love has fallen for somebody else.
Every move in the performance is perfectly suited to the somber tone of the music.
When the dancers get to their feet, their performance takes on a whole new dimension.
Madelyne spins in Riley’s arms, catching hold of Scott’s hand, before Riley lifts her from behind and she places her feet on Scott’s shoulders.
Scott pushes her away, and she spins elegantly to the floor – but Scott can’t help but follow.
He lifts Madelyne onto his shoulders and maneuvers her above his head, before ducking to the floor and allowing Riley to slide her across the floor towards him.
The performance is so expressive that it’s easy to miss just how incredibly difficult it must have been to put together.
While the dancers are making easy work of the lifts, spins and stretches, it must have taken hours of practice for them to so effortlessly pull off their performance.
As the song progresses, Madelyne moves back and forth between Scott and Riley, torn between the two dancers.
Things get more intense towards the end, with Madelyne being pulled from both directions – until finally, she comes in close to kiss Scott.
Members of the audience let out a cheer, and it looks like Madelyne has made her decision.
But as the last notes of the song fade out, she turns her back on Scott and takes Riley’s hand, exiting the stage with him.
Scott is left to exit the other side of the stage all alone – and by this point, we’re so drawn into the performance that we almost feel sorry for him!
There’s no denying that this is one of the most beautiful, emotional portrayals of a love triangle in dance form.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the video is below for you to watch the full performance.
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