The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

The lights dimmed out, and darkness fell. The chatter in the room slowly faded, and silence filled the hall. Gently, the red drapes lifted from the stage as my eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. The blue misty lights then exploded in the blackness revealing a group of dancers, all gracefully poised in their positions. The room filled up with the voice of a female, and the dancers began their movements, elegantly varying positions with each cue. I had never, in my life, seen anything so majestic, so thoroughly choreographed. The ballerinas pranced around in such perfection that for a second I forgot they were humans and not some extraterrestrial beings performing. Gradually, the group of dancers began to drift away and the focus shifted on the two main dancers. As they began their duet all I could think was how magnificently they danced; the way they moved, the way the leaped in the air, the way they touched each other, everything was just mesmerizing to look at and it was mind boggling how beautifully their movements synchronized with each other and how flawless the overall performance was. This was the first act, ‘The Curve”, and by the time it ended I was captivated by the whole concept of ballet

Sometimes in life you just come across something that may touch your heart and completely change your perspective about how you see things. I have never been an artistic person. Gazing at paintings, offering critique on artistic matters has never been something that I have been comfortable with. However, there was something extraordinary about contemporary ballet that truly spoke to me that night and I can now safely say that dance has become my favorite form of art. All semester long we talked about how artists make use of different forms of art such as graffiti or abstract expressionism to exhibit what they feel but I am starting to believe now that dance has the most power to exhibit what a person feels. All of the performances in the Joyce Theatre had one thing in common: the enthusiasm and passion with which the dancers danced. They twirled, swayed, and simply captivated the audience by portraying such emotions through their dancing that people otherwise might have found difficult to experience. When artists write or paint, they can never be sure of the perception with which people view their art. However, a dancer just pours out all of his or her emotions in front of the audience; the happiness, the anger, basically all the complexities of life are explicitly exhibited through the dance and hence the viewers are compelled to experience the exact kinds of emotions that the dancers want them to go through.

Also, it was quite fascinating to see how easily the dancers would just twist their bodies and come into these intricate positions that one cannot even think of. However, by the end of each performance, one could see the sweat visible on their almost flawless bodies and that’s when one would realize how exhausting and difficult the act must have been for the dancers. We, as audience, just sat there and thought about how absolutely perfect these dancers were but what we forgot was the amount of hard work they had put in to achieve this level of perfection.

Overall, it was truly an amazing experience that made me understand what dance is and what it depicts and I hope that I get the chance to go there again and see more ballet performances.

I’ve been through this before. The first time that I went to see a Broadway show with my TDF program, I was expecting to  be bored to the point of sleep, confused, and quite frankly, uninterested. All my doubts about Broadway were proven wrong, however. So, when we were waiting for the dance performance to commence, I think I had a little more optimism than some of my fellow classmates. However, I did not expect it to captivate me or fascinate me in any way.

I was wrong.

The first thing I noticed while watching the performances was all the timing and coordination that the dancers had with one another. One great advantage that our seating allowed us was the ability to hear the “lead” dancers, Christina and Derek, give slight cues to the rest of the dancers throughout the piece. I heard a lot of different breathing cues, as well as movements that cued other dancers. It was fascinating to be able to see the intricacies and the subtleties while also being able to see the whole piece. Usually performances like this can feel a little distant, as if the dancers are somehow in a different world than we are. However, something about this performance felt more relatable. I think witnessing all the energy they were exerting and the work that they were putting in helped me appreciate what they were doing more.

Another one of the things I liked was the variety of the dance pieces. I heard at least one song I knew, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You”, which is one of my favorite oldies. They played the Nina Simone cover, I believe. The mix of tunes led to a wide variety of dances. Some were deliberate, some were energetic. They balanced it very well, and I never felt like I was getting the same old thing again and again. The incorporation of one particular piece really struck me. The musical piece, where there was actually a guitarist on the stage, was one of my avorites. Seeing the dancers in fairly common attire impressed me even more. Doing the kind of moves they did could not have been easy in jeans and sweatshirts. The inclusion of this piece made the entire production a lot more relatable than it would have been without a urban piece.

Even if dance isn’t something that I would look to do in all of my freetime, I have gained a new respect and understanding for the work and dedication that dancers put into their craft. I would describe my experience as a kind of culture shock. I only knew dance from what the people I knew said about it. But the problem with that was that they were just as uninformed about the true difficulty of dance production as I was. I’m happy I went. If I have a group of friends together, dance will certainly be on the list of things to check out. Even if I get a few stunned stares and laughter, I will convince them that it’s worth it to expose yourself to different forms of culture and entertainment.

-Ben

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwXai-sgM-s. Apologies to Nina Simone, but this version of “I Put A Spell On You” is just bone-chilling.

So the word around our class was that I would be the first one asleep when the performance started, but somehow I proved everyone wrong. When the first dance started, I was like “oh great, here we go.. how the hell am I going to sit through an hour and a half of this?” For a moment I thought the class’ prediction about me going down first was going to be accurate. But then two of the men dancers came out and started dancing to the song ” Time After Time,” acoustically played on the guitar. The song and the dancing really caught my attention. I think this was the case because I knew the song and the dancing was more modern so I could relate to it.
Then, a couple of dances after that, my heart was captured by the dark red haired dancer, Christina Dooling. And don’t worry guys, her looks weren’t the only thing that caught my eye. Her performance – the one where she was in red pants dancing with another man (jealous) – was, in my opinion, pretty amazing. The movements they were doing with their bodies were something I didn’t even think were possible, and the music they danced to – a beautiful song on the piano – was perfect for their performance. It allowed them to simultaneously portray their emotions and dance flawlessly. This was definitely my favorite part of the night.
Sitting so close really changed my outlook on the show. I thought if I dozed off a performer on stage would see me and be taken back, but luckily this was a non-factor because I was so interested in the show. Sitting in the second row, I was able to hear them breathing and see sweat dripping down their face. I know this isn’t the coolest thing, but it really exemplified how much work they put into these dances.
I was so into the show that I started screaming, “woo” after the dances I liked. I didn’t think I would live to see the day this happened. It’s safe to say that I really enjoyed the show and would definitely go back to see it and my love Christina Dooling<3

P.S. – I became a hero later that night when I went back into the theater to chat it up with my girl Christina.

P.P.S – That didn’t really happen. I just went back in because I forgot my hat and I ended up finding Bens coveted frisbee.

Complexions was definitely an eye-opening experience that forever changed my view of modern dance. The synchronized, precise movements of the dancers combined with the wide variety of different music styles to satisfy everyone’s taste in dance.

At first, I thought that the dancing would be slow and boring, because that was my impression of the first dance, THE CURVE. I didn’t really enjoy the music or the introductory dance routine. However, after the intermission when certain people got awarded for their work in contemporary dance, the dances got more livelier and the stories they told were more interesting.

One of the dances I liked was MEMORIES, where the two street boys danced to the song Time After Time. It was really interesting seeing this popular song being danced to in this new style that I’ve never seen before. And the musician didn’t seem to steal any attention towards himself, allowing the audience to focus on the dancers.

Then, most of the performances with Christina Cooling (the Ukrainian) were awesome as she was certainly the star of the show. Her love story in SUBJECT TO CHANGE really portrayed the immense skill a dancer has to contain to incorporate a story into her movements. But really, every performance she was in was an enjoyable performance.

Another really good performance was the finale, PRETTY GRITTY SUITE, when the professional dancers and the students danced together in one big collaboration of beautiful costumes, tempo, music, and choreography. The incorporation of tambourines into the performance just proved how talented these people were, as they became musicians as well as dancers.

Overall, after the mood of the performances went up and the songs became recognizable, the performances really became mind-blowing. It was amazing that we got to watch the show from so close, allowing us to see the sweat-drenched, yet always smiling faces of the dancers. It’s definitely something I would want to watch again in the future.

As I researched about Martha Graham and Isamu Noguchi’s collaborative works, I was totally not in the mood for modern dance. I found it to be very boring and incomprehensible. So when I arrived at Joyce Theater, I wasn’t too excited. I thought we would watch weird and sophisticated chronographs. So, I asked Nate to wake me up after the show is over when we got to our seats.

As I was preparing to make myself comfortable for a nap, the curtain cleared and performances began. Without even knowing it, I was already on the edge of my seat, fascinated by the movements and skills of the dancers. We sat so close up that we could hear the breathing of the performers; maybe that was the Martha Graham’s “Contraction and release” technique. The performance was very powerful in movement and the performers exquisite cooperation and skills really indicated their relentless hours of practices. There were clear distinctions between the New Orleans students and professional performers. I still loved the students’ performances as they, too, were skillful and high in sprits.

I was also genuinely surprised to hear modern genres of music, instead of classical traditional ones. I was pleased to hear Muse’s Feeling Good in one of their performances. It’s also hard to say which piece was my favorite, as I loved all of them. Even though I could not fully understand their works, I could sort of feel what they were trying to express. But like people loving Gangnam Style without understanding a word Psy’s saying, I loved every piece of Complexions without much understanding.

“Complexions” was a sensational astonishment for me that flipped my perspective in ballet and modern dance upside down. I really appreciate the opportunity that was given to me.

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.

Sitting through Complexions was not only an eye-opening experience for me, it was one that encompassed all five of my senses-hearing an array of musical instruments and voices in various genres, seeing the most talented young performers move their elastic bodies in such an effortless way, smelling the sweat drip off their bodies (we had front row seats of course), and feeling the energy of the Joyce Theater-one of amazement, astonishment, confusion and complexity.

The Complexions performance can be summed up succinctly and concisely to COMPLEX. Multi-generational, multicultural, and filled with multimedia, this performance is a must see by all ages!

However, as I first got to my seat, I was a bit nervous for the show. The only other dance performance I’ve seen before was Alvin Alley and I hated that to say the least. Maybe it was partially due to the fact that I was young, or that I was seeing nude dancer with my mom that made me feel uncomfortable, but I remember counting down the minutes until the show’s completion. So sitting in the Joyce before the show began, I was disinterested constantly checking my phone, and sitting with my head up as the seats we had were so close. The opening scene was a disappointment. I disliked the music, disliked the dances, and thought this would be the start to a long night-one filled with movements I didn’t and could’nt understand for the life of me; one filled with boredom and disinterested.

Yet after the curtain came down and the lights dimmed once again, the show really began. The first act fooled me! The rest of the evening was nothing like it. Awards were given to major contributors of Complexions, applauses were loud and lively, and the energy of the room immediately changed. I shifted gears and turned on a positive attitude to the show and boy was I right for doing so.

The show consisted of short segments of different dances, performers and costumes and even some cool visual lights. The music in each piece was different, the costumes were all bright and catchy, and the dancers were the most talented people I’ve seen. What I loved most about the performance was the addition of the New Orleans dance group. The energy and loveliness they brought to the show from these young kids was so inspirational. They had moves and flexibilites as if they were professionals which was truly amazing

All in all, once the show began, I loved it. The intermission was necessary as the show was long and pretty stagnant however it was well worth it. I enjoyed watching different ages, genders and cultures comes together to produce a show filled with talent and creativity.

I have to be honest, when the show first started, I thought to myself, “oh it’s one of those dance performances.” I thought it would just be a lot of strange dance moves to equally strange music. I didn’t really like the first performance, THE CURVE, at all. The music choice was really irritating for me because they chose the pitch that makes my eardrums feel as if they were going to burst and I didn’t particularly like the choreography; It seemed more mechanical than the dances I prefer that tells a story or is filled with emotions. Although it did show me that the dancers were very talented.

The next few performances I liked a lot more, but they still couldn’t really get the aftertaste of the very first one out of my mouth, so I was not enjoying it as much as I could have and I felt guilty for it. It wasn’t until the performance the students were in started that I really started getting into it. The performances were much more upbeat, and the choreography seemed to match the music and lighting a lot better, even if this is just my personal preference. I can’t remember which one was performed first but out of the two dances that we got to see I think I liked the one accompanied by “Children Go Where I Stand Thee” more than the one accompanied by “Pray On/ Hold On”. Both of them were amazing. When I first saw them, I thought to myself, “wow, are these supposed to be the students? This is better than the previous ones by far,” although my words weren’t quite as articulate during the actual performance, I believe my actual words were along the lines of, “Damn, dey good.”
The thing about “Children Go Where I Stand Thee” that I really liked, was how well everything seemed to fit together. The costumes seemed to match the music really well and made me start making up my own little story in my head. Then the choreography followed the lyrics and beats in a way that set a certain mood that made me think of a church group down South where there isn’t quite as much money as there could have been, but filled with hope.

Then there was SUBJECT TO CHANGE. It was the best performance done by the Complexions Troupe before the intermission. I could really feel the emotions coming from the performers. The choreography also told a great story, I thought it was about a relationship that was great and brimming with love but as time passed the relationship became strained and it seems that the woman is ready to end the relationship while the man isn’t ready to accept that. I couldn’t find the actual story behind it so that is just what I think it was about. Edgar Anido and Christina Dooling were also amazing in this piece and is the main reason they are up on my top five dancers of the performance. It was the first performance where I could sense and see the emotions coming from the dancers themselves rather than just from the music or choreography. The emphasis in the motions, and the facial expressions were all factors into why I loved this dance.

Because the pictures are too big to actually insert into the post I will link them instead, this one is from SUBJECT TO CHANGE
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/598385_10151163607888892_1510283034_n.jpg

The other performance I enjoyed was called MEMORIES and was performed by Mark Caserta and D. Gary W. Jeter. It was the performance where the two of them were wearing normal street clothes and there was a man, Nick Demopoulos, sitting off to the side playing his electric acoustic guitar. It was refreshing change from the previous dances that were harder to understand and connect to. It’s also partially because of this performance that Mark is one of the top five dancers from the performance, in my book, although he was even better in PRETTY GRITTY SUITE.
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/396668_10151167247218892_1186879438_n.jpg

And my favorite performance of the night, and most likely most of yours’ as well, was PRETTY GRITTY SUITE. It was the long dance performance that covered the entire second half after the intermission ended. I loved the bright lighting and the yellow costumes; it was really great to have the mood pick up and have the pace change from slow and sad to fast and exciting. The way they incorporated the tambourines was something I really liked because it reminded me of the first live dance performance I went to as a child and they did the same thing. The whole thing made me feel like i was walking into a ritzy Las Vegas Casino and just looking around and seeing all the different people there. It was just so fun to watch and before I realized it, my legs had started to move along with the music. It was this performance that made me want to start dancing and play some Just Dance on the Kinect.
 http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/188571_10151168621928892_1749968574_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/486160_10151164782978892_986502279_n.jpg

I’d have to give it a 8.5 out of 10; I really liked it.

Oh, as for the other two people in my top five dancers, I couldn’t find them. Their names are on the playbill but I don’t know who is who, and there are some things even Google can’t find.

(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

Besides the readings essay from Martha Graham, “I am a Dancer,” let’s talk about this video in class on Thursday: