Every shoe has a story.

“Shoes On, Shoes Off,” written and choreographed by Prof. Susan Dibble (THA) this year, is a collection of sixteen dance scenes centered around shoes. It is set in a shoe store loosely based on Michaelson’s Shoes in Lexington, Massachusetts. The performance was presented by the Department of Theatre Arts and was held in the Mainstage Theater of Spingold Theater Center.

The set, designed by Jeff Adelberg, was creative but did not distract from the overall message of the performance. Shelves of shoe boxes lined the back wall. The arrangement of the boxes changed over the course of the play based on the action. When performers’ shoes were off, they were placed on top of the boxes in the back.

Each musical piece portrays a different narrative about people and their relationship with shoes. Shoes are used as a symbol of freedom as well as of order. The show opens with “Shoe Graveyard,” where dozens of pairs of shoes are lying on the floor as the storeowners stroll through, one carrying a tree branch. The scene is calm and mysterious.

In the next number, “Second Hand Shoe Store,” all the actors enter the stage and claim their shoes. Each character — individualized by their dress and actions — picks out their perfect pair of shoes in a moving transition before the storeowners close up shop for the day.

In the next piece, “Traveling Walking Shoes,” A Free Spirit, played by Sarai Warsoff ’16, dances across the stage barefoot to the song “Statue of Liberty” (2001) by Laurie Anderson. The song is somber and mystic. The movement is natural and free, adding to the character’s blissful nature.

Constants throughout the show were the owners of the shoe store, Second Hand Shoe Partner (Andrew Child ‘19) and Shoe Store Owner (Alex Jacobs). The two men open the performance and reappear in amicable ways throughout, such as helping others pick out shoes, and organizing the store. For them, shoes represent order and respect.

Another standout piece was “Village Deli Time” set to the song “Fingers to the Bone” (2011) by Brown Bird. The piece featured the entire cast with white paper bags over their hands. The song was upbeat, and the jumping dance moves focused on the sense of community felt between the different characters.

The most interesting part of “Shoes On, Shoes Off” is the fact that the performance has no dialogue in it but still tells a story. The entire narrative is shown through body movement, costumes and the way the characters interact with one another. Despite the absence of dialogue, the characters each had distinct qualities.

The costumes, designed by Jess Huang, reflect each character’s personality. A Free Spirit wears loose clothes in neutral colors, while Fun Woman To Be Around (Sam Laney ’16) wears bold colors and fabrics as well as sparkling lime-green shoes.

The actors took on the dance numbers with grace. Some of the performers were Brandeis students, while others were professional dancers and actors. The onstage chemistry was palpable. The dance movements were used to show character development and emotion. Although the show was danced, it was not about dancing. The enthusiasm from the actors during the performance made it lively and captivating.

In an article published in Brandeis NOW, Dibble says that she likes to “take something ordinary and make it extraordinary.” She certainly did this. “Shoes On, Shoes Off” is a unique and interconnected world of people, their lives and their shoes.

Every shoe has a story, just as every person does. In Dibble’s “Shoes On, Shoes Off” she uses the symbol of shoes to tell stories about the things in our life that both give us structure and let us fall apart.