Out of all the Macaulay events on the calendar this semester, Fall for Dance Festival was the one I was most excited for! I grew up with a dance background for more than ten years, being trained in a variety of styles that I fell in love with, and getting to experience four different types of performances was so entertaining.
The first group that performed was Ballet Hispanico. Their piece, Con Brazos Abiertos, was a Spanish take on classical ballet. The choreographer, Michelle Manzanales, uses her piece to explore what it means to be a young woman growing up Mexican-American and the value of retaining an ethnic sense of identity.
TANGOS, a ballroom duo, was the second performance of the festival. It was technically flawless, with beautiful lines and a passionate connection between the partners, Junior Cervila & Guadalupe Garcia. It was provocative, from their movements to their mannerisms, and created a chuckle amongst the audience. For instance, we all got a laugh when the woman ended up having to take control and lead the tango. I’ve always wanted to explore Latin styles, and this performance reinforced the idea in my mind all over again.
El Cruce sobre el Niágara, which translates to The Crossing Over Niagra, was performed by members of the Acosta Danza company. The group was founded just a few years ago in Cuba and is now touring internationally, considering the choreographer had only recently retired from the ballet stage. This particular piece was a little unorthodox as it depicted a partnership and power balance between two, almost naked men as one carried the other over Niagra Falls. Personally, I felt that it was a little long and slow paced, but maybe that is exactly what was intended to show the strain of the men’s journey.
Out of the four acts, the one company I had previously been familiar with is Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. They performed their lively piece, Stack-Up, which was set in the 1970s and featured a lot of pairing, colorful costuming, and urban landscaping. There was a lot going on throughout the stage because each couple or small group had their own moments to shine. It was not as clean as the choreography the company usually puts out, but it was a strong ending to the Fall for Dance Festival nonetheless. It made me eager to see their sixty year tribute performance at the end of this year.
The Fall for Dance Festival was also one of my most anticipated performances. Coming from a dance background too, I was very excited to see all the different companies showcase a variety of dance styles. The tango duet was my favorite performance out of the four. It was so technical and passionate and I thought the live music was a really nice touch. I agree that seeing the showcase of different dance styles and techniques was very fun and it made me want to branch out and try different styles of dance.