Each performance and studio brought very unique stylistic differences and each studio’s aimed impact for the audience varied greatly as well.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER

I didn’t necessarily enjoy this performance as much as the others. The music was harshly, industrial which in my opinion suited the performances mechanical and uniform style. Furthermore, the unshapely black smocks which each performer wore added to this uniformity. Although the performance was very robotic and formulaic and at times seemed to be discordant due to the lack of connection between the rhythm of the music and the movements of the dancers, their was an underlying level of unity which allowed the piece to flow and come together.

LUCINDA CHILDS DANCE COMPANY

Of all the performances this was my favorite. The entire time I analyzed each couple and began to see each color with the differing styles of each couple as a part of a documentation of a romantic relationship. Alternately, I saw that it could be a general representation of the trials and tribulations as well as the benefits of a romantic relationship rather than the rocky relationship of one couple. With each movement the audience could see either the tension in the relationship, or a simple dip could be interpreted as the dependency on had on the other, and the red performance I remember as being implicitly sensual. This one truly amazed me because it was a perfect representation of how body language can be utilized to convey so much meaning, its truly like a language of its own.

SEBASTIEN RAMIREZ & HONJI WANG

From the moment Ramirez and Wang entered onto the stage I knew this performance would be different from the others. Even their casual, non costume seeming, clothing gave the performance a different energy completely. Their incorporation of modern street style dancing into traditional ballet was very fun and energetic and also portrayed a relationship between the two dancers. Some of the moves they did were very impressive and evoked verbal responses from the audience. Overall, It was very playful and I feel like it really woke up the reinvigorated and woke up the crowd.

SEMPEROPER BALLET DRESDEN

The final performance was also particularly interesting to me. It was a very complex intertwining of playful, silly dancing and a very serious social commentary. When it began I was confused at whether the singular man dancing was part of the performance or just a transitional skit between performances. I really liked that they were so inclusive and interacted with the audience it added a new level of entertainment and excitement to the performance. Furthermore, the music was really interesting and I like how they incorporated a sort of tribal vibe to it. It was surprising when the performers, in identical suits and ties, sat in the semi circle and the mood immediately became very serious and somber. I think the first round of the performers systematically flailing with the last man falling to the ground was a bit of a shock to the entire crowd. Aesthetically, the circular wave they created was very interesting. I feel as though the choreographer was making a commentary on the cyclic nature of a workingman’s lifestyle, which much of society believes is the norm. It conveyed this idea that we end up living to work rather than working to live and in the end some of us begin to get fed up with this systematic, mundane lifestyle and become bogged down by the tiresome cycle of life (symbolized by the man falling to the ground). Contrastingly, the silly parts of the dance were a reminder to let loose, live a little, and find some joy in the simple things in life even if it is just randomly dancing.

Fall for dance was another new experience provided by this wonderful class. Again, I was put all the way at the top and did not feel comfortable in the beginning due to my fear of heights. However, I was able to see the entire stage and I knew I would see the angles that the front rows will not be able to see. I was not a huge fan of the beginning performances due to its repetitiveness. However, post intermission performances were amazing and the way the performers made the audiences go up the stage was a surprise. In addition, I love the way there were many variety of performances and I was able to experiences made new forms of arts that I did not know it even existed.

My thoughts on each of the performances:

Semperoper Ballet Dresden: Powerful. One of the most incredible performances of the show and my favorite. The choice of music was perfect and inspired a sense of awe in the listener. This coordinated perfectly with the movements of the dancers on stage. One of my favorite aspects of the performance was the symmetry. At every point in the dance, the dancers were mirrored about a central point and was an amazing exercise in perfect synchronization.

Lucinda Childs Dance Company: While some might find this enjoyable, I did not. I do not know why this could be (perhaps because of my lack of experience in dance or because of my taste in music); however, I recognized that their performance was incredibly talented and that it was an amazing display of grace and balance.

Sebastian Ramirez and Honji Wang:  This was an incredibly energetic performance, portraying a relationship (not so much as the narrative of the relationship but of its current state). Because of its high energy and acrobatic feats, this was an immensely enjoyable performance. Ramirez and Wang complimented each other perfectly and displayed beautiful coordination. I’m also overjoyed at the fact that they let us take a group picture with them after the show!

Alvin Ailey Dance Company: I loved how this piece started off. It was so inconspicuous that most of us were unaware whether the performance had even started. The performance mixed a variety of styles. My favorite part was when “Hava Nagila” started playing and the narrator spoke of the fine line between beauty and insanity and the coexistence of fatigue and elegance (not verbatim). This theme was reflected in the performance. I was left wondering, was the one who had not taken off his clothes the insane one or the ones around him? Was him not becoming a part of the larger society true insanity? It was a truly thought provoking performance.

What kind of dance did we see that evening? How were the companies different? similar? Did they try to tell a story? Did they try to shock you or, to the contrary, to enchant? Was any of the pieces intentionally controversial? Did any of the choreographers appeal, perhaps, more to your intellectual understanding than sensual pleasure?

Here, a few more photos.

Ohad Naharin, ‘Minus 16’ (1999), photo by Christopher Duggan

William Forsythe, ‘Neue Suite’ (2012), photo by Costin Radu

‘AP15’ (2010), photo by Coolbox

Let’s look for a moment at the ugly duckling of our evening at the City Center, which no one seemed to notice positively: Lucinda Childs Dance Company.  (Check out also the photo in Nabila’s post)

What do you think the choreographer was trying to achieve in this piece?

Concerto (1993), photo by Peter Perazio

That day was a pretty great overall day. My group went out a couple hours before the performance to take pictures of public art, and afterwards we ate at Shake Shack, chilled at Starbucks, and then watched the performance!

Overall, the entire performance was really, really good. I have a ton of respect for the dancers and their ability to do what they do. The first half of the performance, although it was good, and required much skill, those types of dances don’t interest me too much. I didn’t enjoy the first half as much as I did the second. But man, was I glad that they ended the second half with strong performances that I truly enjoyed. Shout outs to the Wang Ramirez duo who kept me on the edge of my seat during their performance, and were nice enough to take a picture with us afterwards! The intricacy, preciseness, and story within each of their moves were breathtaking needless to say. I also thoroughly enjoyed the last performance, as it was not only powerful, but humorous as well. They lightened up the mood and created a fun and interactive performance for the entire audience. Much respect for every dancer that performed.

~Pun

It seems like everyone enjoyed the Fall For Dance performance that you attended last Friday! I wish that I had gotten to attend with you all also, but I really enjoyed the one that I went to on my own.

My favorite of the performances was “Umnikelo” by the Vuyani Dance Theatre. I was really captivated by their use of what seemed like traditional African music and dance. To me, it was all really beautiful. Here’s a video:

There were a few things that I was really able to notice from sitting in the last row of City Center to watch the performance. The first was that getting a birds-eye view of the show enhanced my experience. I’m sure that seats closer to the stage and down lower are considered to be better for a reason, but I was excited to be able to see everything. I also really enjoyed during some of the performances not being able to tell whether the dancers were male or female. It was a good reminder about how this kind of art only is produced by humanity with no necessary divides between gender, race, or social class.

Something else that I noticed and appreciated was also touched upon by Chloe in her post: the set designers for each performance played with light as a major tool to set the scene for the audience. I never really noticed how important this was until I saw how the same people and place could be dramatically transformed because the color or location of the light changed.

My favorite part of all the performances was honestly seeing how seamlessly all of the dancers cooperated with each other. I have always admired dancers because I’m not a good dancer, myself. I admire their dedication, self-discipline, and passion. However, to me the best part isn’t an individual dancer, it’s seeing how beautifully everything ties together when all of the individuals mesh into one whole.

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I am going to start a general, open-to-all discussion about dance. Feel free to add a comment anytime and pose more questions. These are some suggestions to spark a comment:

What is dance? What is the difference between dancing and everyday movement? If there is a difference, where is the borderline? If not, should dance still be an art? (and if it’s not an art, why is this performance included in our course?)

What do you expect to see at the City Center? What is, if any, your prejudice about this performance?