Run Don’t Run was quite the different experience for me.  It was my first time attending this kind of an event.  I wasn’t sure what to expect because of the fact that I haven’t had much exposure to theatre arts and dance.  When we arrived, I was intrigued by the many strings and their colors.  I thought it was very unique and distinctive compared to Broadway shows, operas etc.

As I was watching the performance, I saw three things: gracefulness, authority, and perfection.  It was surprising to me how flexible the dancers where, whether male or female, and how they applied this gift to the art of dancing.  I think that this is the most important aspect of a dancer: how they can apply flexibility and create graceful movements with it.  On a side note, one thing that interested me greatly was the fact that the dancers were from all different places; one dancer being from Singapore.  I think that diversity within this group is very important to the success of the performance.  Because they are from different places, each individual will have different skill sets and can both help and share it with each other.  The other thing I saw was authority.  What I mean by this is that each dancer, whether out as a group or by themselves, was able to take authority of the room and keep the attention of all the watchers.  They took control of the room and were able to keep everyone attentive.  The last thing I saw was perfection.  From their performance, I could tell how many hours of practice and dedication were put into each dance move.  Although the performance wasn’t completely flawless and there were a few mess-ups, I could see that this was put together with meticulousness, thoroughness and practice.  Whether the performance was exciting or not, I respect the dedication that each dancer has put into the arts.

I felt that props were slightly distracting to the performance.  Although the strings had intrigued me when I walked in, I didn’t see how they were necessary for the performance.  I think that the dancers could perform an equally well-done dance without the use of strings.  Nevertheless, despite the strings being distracting, the dancers were able to keep the attention of the audience throughout the dance performance.  On the other hand, one aspect that I believed was essential to the performance was the music.  Music was not just an extra to the performance.  It was a companion to the dance.  Both the dance and music were synced together in order to set the tone, mood and speed of the dance.

Overall, I did enjoy the dance.  It was an interesting first time for me and if given the chance, I would contemplate going to another one of these performances.  However, I am still a little confused about the message of the whole dance.  I felt that the meaning behind the dance was quite unclear.  If I were to give one aspect that needs improvement, I would say that the dance needs to more effectively communicate the message in a clearer manner.  Not fully understanding the message can cause audience members to not enjoy it as much as if they knew what the whole thing was about.