‘BLKDOG’ at The Clarice examines trauma through contemporary dance

British hip hop dance company Far From the Norm’s show, BLKDOG, premiered rather quietly at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Monday night. A spotlight shone on a lone dancer who sat cross-legged on the floor. Several dancers sat a few feet away, shrouded in shadows. Ambient industrial noises gradually swelled in the background as a sense of unease crept in. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. The dancers slowly slumped to the floor. The dancer in the spotlight writhed and thrashed in pain as the others slowly crept away. The award-winning show, created by Far From the Norm artistic director Botis Seva, centers around various forms of trauma faced by youth. BLKDOG barely uses dialogue, apart from sparse, terse narration, to focus on abstract choreography. [UMD club performs revamped Shakespearean scenes] “I start with working with themes, and then from the themes I take ideas and start exploring it in my body,” Seva said. “I work with the dancers quite a lot, so the artists who I work in the room with collaborate with me quite a lot in terms of bringing movement and improvisation.” Seva founded the hip hop group to fill a niche in the London dance scene...