The costumes, music and dances played a part in the modern theme of the annual UTM Dance Ensemble. The concert mainly consisted of modern dances with a little bit of ballet.

"UTM Dance Ensemble is very versatile," said Claudia Morris, director of the event. Types of performances vary throughout the year, depending on artists' dancing skills and the dances chosen. As Morris added, most of the dance moves are created by the student performer.

A "Journey" dance was performed by guest dancer Taurus Hines, who teaches high school dance classes in Memphis. The dance consisted of a number of sensually smooth movements concentrating on the inner energy of the dancer.

Each of the dances had its own identical feature and tune. While "Mondula Obligata" and "Black+White=Grey" kept the audience alive with their modern moves and setting, "Survival of the Fittest" brought a whole of original dances, ending with a loud techno moves.

While "Shades of Relations" seemed like an awkward initiation of a program with clumsy moves by some of the dancers, the audience seemed to be intrigued by an unusual dance to one of the poems of English professor Leslie LaChance. As Dr. LaChance recited her poem, "Invitation to Chaos," performers served as a visual aid with an original dance.

"It's nice that somebody could come out and dance to it," said LaChance. "They [my poems] usually stay at home in a box."

"Unforgiven" was performed by another guest dancer. Allison Greene grabbed attention by the dance's disturbing themes of the agony poor immigrants had to face coming to America.

Finally, "Cycles", for which the whole topic of the dance ensemble was named summed it up with the story of the history of humankind throughout the ages through intriguing performances.\r\n"I wanted to portray a dramatic picture of a cycle of life of humans," said Morris.

Morris used the major dances of the different historical eras. Starting out with the simplistic animal-like dances of the Stone Age, it went on to short parts of elite dances of Ancient Egypt and Renaissance era.

Overall the show was successful in pleasing and surprising the audience with its originality and brilliance of the performers.