Review: SBDC Dancers Bring the LOVE

Posted by Geoffrey Vendeville in FringeBlog on February 8, 2014

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It isn’t easy to put on a show about the challenges facing youth without being a little corny.
But in “Addicted to LOVE,” the Sonia Balazovech Dance Company succeeded—for the most part.

As they have done in past productions, SBDC is donating all proceeds from the contemporary jazz dance show to charity. This year, they teamed up with LOVE, or Leave Out ViolencE, an international, in-school youth violence prevention program.

Make no mistake: just because it’s for charity doesn’t mean it’s a small-scale production. The dancers, who took care of every aspect of the show from choreography to promotion, have been preparing for a year-and-a-half.

A few pieces are accompanied by local folk singer Stefanie Parnell on the ukulele. Another number is choreographed to a rap by MC David Hodges. The show features a varied musical score from Marilyn Manson to Patrick Watson.

There’s no separation between the stage and the audience, so the dancers are sometimes inches away. You can’t help but be drawn in seeing the dancers up close enacting the pain of bullying, drug addiction, and depression.

Be advised: the first half of the show is pretty dark, so you may want to buy an extra wine ticket for the 2-minute intermission.

The show picks up on a more positive note in the second half as the dancers show that even the most difficult problems can be solved with LOVE, or love. As you might expect, there’s a happy ending.

Most importantly, “Addicted to LOVE” shows that the challenges facing youth shouldn’t be taken lightly. Bullying, low self-esteem, and addiction are all very real problems in schools that need to heard.

The last two performances of “Addicted to LOVE” are at Espace Réunion (6600 Hutchison St.) tonight at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.