Back turned to the audience, his right arm flails wildly as the left arms sticks to his side; as straight as a pin. When he turns around, his face is distorted and tortured. He is caught between good and evil, Chastity and Lust: which will he choose?

This Friday, April 17 and Saturday April 18, Whitman’s Dance Department presents “Jekyll and Hyde” choreographed by seniors Seren Pendleton-Knoll, Kerry Pine and directed by Idalee Hutson-Fish.
The story of “Jekyll and Hyde” is based on the famous 1886 novella by Robert Louis Stevenson which tells the story of a Dr. Jekyll who attempts to separate the good and evil qualities within himself, eventually losing his sanity and becoming the evil Mr. Jekyll.

In Whitman’s production, the opposing forces of good and evil within Dr. Jekyll, played by 2003 Whitman Alum and visiting artist Andrew Claus,   are personified in his two love interests,   Chastity (played by Monica Finney) and Lust (played by Tillie Gottlieb).

All of the 27 Whitman student dancers in the production are divided into the two camps: good and evil. The good camp features the seven virtues of Patience (Seren Pendleton-Knoll), Kindness (Kelli Kuhlman), Diligence (Cristine Tennant), Liberality (Lauren Bolkovatz), Abstinence (Emily Kitzman) and Humility (Caitlin Feeney), and focuses on more classical ballet with a contemporary edge. Kerry Pine, the choreographer for good, also included some Virginia reels and Irish dances for the party scenes.

The evil camp features the seven deadly sins of Wrath (Kerry Pine), Pride (Rhya Milici), Envy (Katie Baxter), Greed (Kate Robinette), Gluttony (Rachelle Sloss) and Sloth (Laura Lindeman), and focuses on more jazzy, modern dancing. The tension between the two parties remains extremely acute throughout the production, particularly in the “Brothel Tango,” featuring music from the Gotan Project and the Finale.

“It is something completely new and something we’ve never seen before. It’s original, dramatic and full of personality. It’s a fun rendition of a class story,” said junior dancer Kate Robinette (Greed).
Perhaps the greatest highlight of the production is the dramatic tension. The dancers are driven by the music and acutely cast their feelings during every emotional swell. Jekyll is not the only one who feels anguish, pain and torture. Every dancer feels the pull of evil in the piece.

Senior Seren Pendleton-Knoll says Jekyll and Hyde is a “dance production that’s not necessarily happy. It’s a little dark, a little disturbing [because] we [the choreographers] knew we wanted to do not a happy ballet. We wanted to do something a little bit darker, a little more interesting. We wanted something that had a little more edge, more   fire and more spirit to it.”

“Jekyll and Hyde” will be performed this Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m. in Cordiner Hall.