The eight of them as supermodels strutting through rows of bands that appear as lasers with the red lights shining on them, look straight ahead, keeping their focus with the beat of the new age music playing. They wear casual clothes yet formal faces. They occasionally stop to press up against the bands with blank stares into the audience. They raise each other and lower the bands. They go through different rows at different times, but it’s in mechanical order.

This is just the beginning of Run Don’t Run, a performance at BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, from the 2013 New Wave Festival featuring choreographer Brian Brooks Moving Company. The rest of the hour-long show is quite dynamic and a truly unique experience for everyone in the audience. As the theatre fills with energy from the dancers, each viewer takes a different journey.

The music and lights change – the style of the performance changes. But the performers’ spacey faces remain straight, with the exception of one slipped smile and moment of eye contact. However, the progression of the unknown story continues. The meaning behind the show is really quite mysterious. It is interesting. It is open to interpretation.

Still, ideas will be formed by what one sees and hears first, followed by what one thinks. In Run Don’t Run, one will see amazing contemporary dance. One will witness the great strength, agility, and grace of the dancers. One will see the sweat of their bodies drip to the floor, where their bare feet move so swiftly. One will hear a variety of music and sounds. And when these noises are quiet or absent, one will hear the breathing of the people on stage.

And it is those people on stage – four men and four women – that make the show what it is. They destroy gender roles, create a sense of community, and preserve individuality. Their emotion is in their motion and their energy is marvelous. They make Run Don’t Run just brilliant.