Category: Ballet

It was interesting to see the way the dancing and the music worked together as a whole. Sometimes it really timed exactly with the moves and other times I felt that the music overshadowed the movement. The performance where the shadows

The performance where the shadows were lit up behind was very visually impressive and I appreciated how much planning went into making the whole visual experience look like that. It was very special to see the 2d projection of the choreographed dance.

The opening ballet piece, Liturgy, is an introduction into the work ballet. What I enjoyed about this first opening piece is the integration of music, dance and trust by the dancers. Ballet dancers Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle brought the music composed by Avro Pärt with each move they performed and the relationship between music and dance was evident through the choreography of Christopher Wheeldon. In Liturgy, both dancers worked with every move in sync and adhered to the changes in the music played for their piece. When there was a sudden change in the music being played, such as a slower playing of the violin or the sound of a ding, the dancers followed into a new series of choreographed steps. As the music played on, the two mimicked the changes by accentuating their moves on the stage. Maria Kowroski, for instance, is lifted up by her partner as the violin playing slows. Jared waits until the playing of the violin once again speeds up in order to turn Maria around. All while staying focused on the music in the background, both dancers had to stay keep close attention to each other. When one moved left, right, or anywhere on stage, so did the other. The dance was carried out in unison by both characters in the ballet and the level of success the two had in doing so shows their extensive dedication.