The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

(having the time of your life!)

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t particularly excited to go the ballet on Thursday. I’ve been to one dance recital before this, and I went with my family. I was 11 years old, and I had to sit quietly in my seat for four and a half hours.

It was, quite possibly, the most boring thing I had ever experienced in my short life.

Complexions was so much cooler, though.

I know modern dance is different than traditional ballet, but for some reason I still went in expecting tutus and Black Swan. But obviously I was pleasantly surprised.

I loved how close we were to the stage, because I could literally see everyone’s muscles rippling under the stage lights. Oh my God, they are so built. Like, they are absolutely shredded. Case in point: the soloist, who had thighs of steel. I could see the tendons stretching and contracting underneath his skin. The human body is amazing, and dance really makes you recognize and appreciate that.

We were also sitting close enough to see the sweat dripping off of their bodies, which served to remind me further that those dancers work hard to do what they do. They put in their hours, and it shows. I wonder what kind of workouts they do, what kind of diets they have to maintain…

Also, can I just take a moment to admire how much control they had over  their movements? I was so impressed by that because they were very precise, but at the same time still graceful about it? Meanwhile, I trip up the stairs at least once a day, but I digress.

I loved all the dances, but there were three in particular  that stood out to me.

The first one was the one with the guitarist, set to an acoustic version of Time After Time. First of all, I love that song. Second of all, the guitarist kept looking up at the dancers to see what they were doing instead of down at his guitar — meaning that they were energetic enough to distract a musician from his music. And third of all, when the dancers took a bow, they both had huge smiles on their faces. They looked so happy, and so proud.

The second one was the one set to Amazing Grace. The two dancers had so much chemistry that I felt it radiating off the stage in waves. The dance itself was kind of sensuous without being too heavy? I don’t know how to explain it. But it worked.

The third one was the final dance with all company dancers and the students from New Orleans. It was so energetic and compelling! I loved it. And the dancers smiled at each other all the way through it.

All in all, Complexions was really engaging and dynamic and beautiful. I enjoyed the experience a lot, and it made me more open to other experiences in modern dance.

You know, a lot of my friends are coming home from college for Thanksgiving break. Maybe I’ll take them to go a see a dance performance.

– damla