The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

Going to see Complexions was a pleasantly interesting experience for me. On that thursday, we were shown two presentations that revolved around modern dance. And although i could see the message, and overall point that these artists were trying to convey, part of me thought that it was really silly and represented the annoying side of reactionary art. In some of the videos i saw, there were present several elements of Dadaism. The nonsensical side and perhaps creating annoyance and disgust in the observer made sense to me. But part of me thought that some of these artists (and not the ones talked about in the presentations necessarily) venture to a reactionary form of art because they don’t find any success in the medium they were trying to succeed in. So taking a different approach and doing it just because it gives you attention and makes you feel important was something that i really didn’t want to be present in Complexions because it doesn’t seem genuine and can really ruin an art style. Or perhaps this is my own biased point of view that doesn’t appreciate the various reactionary tools of dancing like obnoxious thuds. Either way, after researching Dada i think that one must look carefully at reactionary art and its fakers (which is probably present in all forms of art).
So getting to the dance itself; overall i thought it was cool. Now i won’t say that i would go watch one by myself, or if i was to suggest a place to go to with a group of friends that it would be Complexions, or even that i understood what was going on most of the time. However, what i was able to see, which is in my opinion paramount in any form of expression is the work and detail that is put into it. Everything from the dancers themselves, to the music selection, to the costume definitely required planning, preparation, and creativity. My favorite part was actually the first introduction-like piece. I think in general what i liked about it was the very mysterious and ominous lighting combined with the strange and ambient music. In fact, i think that if you watched the dancing over a period of two hours you see alot of the same moves being repeated, the pairings are sometimes different and how all the dancers create the stage also shifts constantly; but it isn’t like they are performing new moves every second. So what plays a big role in the overall message or idea that’s being danced isn’t so much the movement, but the setting. I also found that i didn’t like the vocal songs all that much compared to the instrumental ones.  I think that is because it seemed like it defined what this dance was about, instead of letting me kind of zone out and take the visual experience in and decide what i want it to be for myself. I was actually glad that these dancers didn’t make loud thuds or clapping noises either. They definitely didn’t purposely try to make their noise level perfectly quiet, and sometimes made noises to create effect, but it was to a level where it was sudden and rare, and didn’t clammer with the song in the background.

In hindsight though, when watching the dance, i don’t think i was really paying much attention or trying to “see” beyond the physical. I think i was more just paying attention to the athleticism of the dancers and their various feats. There were some points where i would like to just take off my glasses and sit back and see faint colors dancing around in front of me and just look in admiration instead of contemplation. During the intermission i looked back at the crowd and tried to stereotype who exactly was coming to these dances, and what i realized was that it was a great mix of people. There were many old people, but also those who were far younger, and seemed closer to our age even. They also behaved very normally. The crowd wasn’t oddly quiet or pristine  and wasn’t strangely hyperactive either. It was a very normal seeming group of people. People cheered for people they recognized and just seemed happy to be there, and that truly represents the positive ability of reactionary expression. It brought dance from this place of high class ballet to one that’s contemporary and anyone can enjoy. At the end of the night, i thought that it was an interesting and cool way to spend a Thursday night: and it reinforced the idea that you should consider all possibilites, and not simply turn away because the mainstream defines it a certain way. And thankfully, i’m able to live in a city where i’ve experienced some of these fascinating possibilities, and in time will definitely find more.