Every seat was filled in Solano Hall’s dance space for Friday night’s performances of the Sacramento Dance Sampler. Presented as part of the Festival of the Arts, the sampler featured a series of excerpts from eight local dance companies.

“As a part of the Festival of the Arts we wanted to bring these outside groups in to bring the students and the community a taste of what Sacramento has to offer,” said Lorelei Bayne, director of the show. “They all lean toward contemporary dance and dance theater. We are unable to represent all forms of dance…but we try to have a big mix of choreographers and music.”

In its second year, show times were increased from one night to three after space constraints at last year’s show left more than 50 people unable to attend.

“The dance scene in Sacramento…is starting to really take off and flourish,” Bayne said. “Usually when people think of dance they think of San Francisco. One of my goals…was to really try to be an instigator of getting more happening.” tProject Engine opened the show with “How Should I Do?” performed to the music of Chris Brown. A lone spotlight opened the scene as a solitary male dancer began to move in complete silence. As the music came up, the four dancers moved together in a modern style of dance with light hip-hop influences.

In “One Mad Brunette at the Bar,” three female dancers from the Linda Bair Dance Company performed to the text of Jack Kerouac and music of Morphine. Dressed in retro shift dresses, the dancer’s movements followed the text, giving the audience a verbal and visual representation of the story.

Bayne’s piece “Light and Dark” was next on the stage. Inspired by the Gong Yuebin installation, “Site 2801” currently on display at the Crocker Art Museum, dancers stepped forward dressed in white and red. Social commentary on war was apparent as dancers fought to hold one another back from breaking free of marching formation. In the third song, an emotional battle occurred as dancers struggled against themselves, mimicking the stabbing, choking and spearing of war.

In CORE Dance Collective’s “After the Storm,” seven dancers dressed in colorful garb performed to ‘Mumford and Sons’ “After the Storm” and “Sigh No More.” In the first song, an emotional love story of life and death was told as each dancer wore the emotion of the piece in his or her facial expression and movement. The energy of the second song was lifted as the mood became more upbeat and dancers worked together on stage in a series of lifts, twists and leaps.

Senior sociology major Samantha Kaminski found the performance to be inspiring and said she really connected to the performers.

“You could see all the emotions on their faces,” Kaminski said. “It felt like they weren’t just dancing …it was just coming out of them (and) you couldn’t take your eyes off of them.”

After the intermission, the crowd was buzzing for more. The Sacramento Black Art of Dance re-opened the show as dancers moved to the beating tempo of drums. As the rhythm increased, so did the energy in the auditorium as some members of the audience clapped and called out in encouragement. Against a sunset-orange background, dancers undulated their bodies to the music in a powerful display of skill and strength.

Sacramento State faculty member Philip Flickinger’s piece “Shifting Sands,” performed by DIG-Dancers Investigation Group, created a calmer tone in this duet. It traced the relationship between two people from childhood, adolescence, marriage and eventual old-age. Intimate, emotional and powerful, the dancers moved together in perfect unison illustrating the passion, the fights and the reconciliation every relationship endures.

“There were so many amazing pieces, but ‘Sands’ was absolutely my favorite,” Nicolas Berg, a first-time attendee said. ”It was just so raw and emotional. The energy between the two dancers was just incredible.”

Next to the stage was the Emotion Dance Ensemble performing dances to five Johnny Cash songs. A Johnny Cash-style character, dressed head-to-toe in black, took to the stage as the performers told the stories of each song with their movements. Love and temptation were apparent during “I Walk the Line,” a cheerful Western swing lifted spirits for “Time’s A Wastin’” and a struggle with addiction was almost hard to watch during “Cocaine Blues.”

The final act by Red Bucket Dance Theatre included excerpts from “All Summer in a Day” and was performed to songs by Quincy Jones and Deadmau5. Against a moving projection of planets and stars, the eight dancers flowed together as if in orbit.

As each dancer’s meticulous movements bordered on robotic, their grace of execution created a sense of perfect agreement between the group.

Jessica Scharff can be reached at [email protected]