Category Archives: dance

Fuerza Bruta

 

 

 

Over Thanksgiving break, my mother and I saw a show called Fuerza Bruta. It was a show that I have never even seen something similar to. First of all there were not seats and the whole show is done while you stand around the moving “stages”. The first stage was a treadmill that used a conveyer belt affect to show the mundane routines of everyday life. Then the staff redirected out attention to the walls and rolled out a foil curtain with dancers hanging from the curtain pole. While we were being told where to look, the treadmill was moved out of the room. Another stage looked like a box and the performers danced inside of that. Fuerza bruta literally translates into brute force. The dancing has a lot of loud bangs and heavy footwork. Nonetheless, it’s unimaginably amazing. I would recommend this show to anybody. If you go, try to get the rush tickets 2 hours before the show because they are much cheaper than the original priced tickets.

Complexions Review

Complexions Contemporary Ballet at Joyce theater showed me a side of ballet I was oblivious to. Instead of appearing soft and delicate, these dancers were stomping their feet and used the dancing techniques we learned about in class. While I found it difficult to follow the storyline of the acts, I was still able to form my interpretations of their dancing.

The dancers wore nude costumes during the first act which I thought symbolized a type of birth. They were revealing themselves to us in this performance. Instead of focusing on the colors or designs of the costumes, I focused on the dancing since the costumes were minimalistic. This scene had a dark atmosphere which I had not previously experienced at a ballet.

I thought the second act had something to do with a heart beating. Everyone was in skeleton costumes and the background music was just one beat being repeated. As the beat sped up, so did the performers. Their bodies also were pulsating in synchronization with the music. It was an innovative way to show the conscious movements, the dancing, of the human body with the subconscious function, the heartbeat, of the human body.

The final act was my favorite because it was dedicated to happiness. The music was had lyrics for the first time in the show and was upbeat. The dancers pranced freely around the stage and wore bright colors to show their cheery mood. There was also a part where they had couples dancing together but I think they would switch partners. I’m not sure if this was supposed to a statement or just a way to create more movement but I interpreted it as a statement. The dancers found joy dancing with each other and interacting.

I was excited to have such great seats. We were so close that I could see the sweat coming off the dancer’s bodies and hear them breathing. I think even seats in the back would’ve been good for this performance. Since it was a group performance, seeing the dance from a distance would allow a better perception of how the group functions and effects each other.

Complexions Review

I never would have thought that I would ever attend a ballet in my life, but I am glad that I can now say they I have. After Fun Home and out class trips, my expectations for the Complexions Ballet at the Joyce Theater were extremely high. After all, Fun Home was amazing, Meeting Greg Broom was great, and so on. Although, the dancers were amazing (even that may be an understatement) and the dances were very well coordinated, it fell below my expectations. That is not to say I did not enjoy it, I just thought I would like the performance as a whole much more than I actually did. Perhaps it was because they were not contemporary enough for me. It seems that the dances slowly progressed and became more and more modern.

 

It started off with a dance titled Moon Over Jupiter by Dwight Rhoden. The dance did have my attention for the most part, but that was mainly because it was the first time I ever watched a ballet. Their outfits were interesting and unexpected. Actually it was barely existent. I wonder why they chose those specific outfits for this dance. This number made me realize how much running and moving ballet really requires. To have to run off stage and run to their exact spot is very difficult but they executed it flawlessly. At times this dance was up beat but at many times it was slow, I was just wondering when they would move to the next dance.

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The second dance, Recur byAlejandro Cerrudo,  was slower than the first. I expected it to be faster. I just could not enjoy it. Although I do understand that the dancers cannot continuously do strenuous and quick dances. This must have been the time that dancers could relax more. Although it looked just as difficult.

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The third number, Innervision by Jae Man Joo, was much better. It was upbeat for the most part and the music was much more lively. Although it was ballet, it added more modern aspects. The movements were faster and the emotions on the dancers faces were not serious like they were in the other two. It kept me awake and engaged and that is what I felt a performance should do.

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My high expectation was probably unfair because it was the result of always enjoying our other class trips more than expected. My expectations for past trips were always much lower so that was likely the reason I always enjoyed them more. However, this was enjoyable and was a positive experience. It was when I realized that being so close to the stage is a strange experience. I could smell and see the sweat, hear  the movements, and see the emotions on the faces of the actors. Would I go to another ballet after this? Definitely, but I will pray they are more like the third number.

 

 

Complexions, The Ballet

I’m hardly the dance/ballet expert, so it was quite hard to follow the performance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, at the Joyce Theater. So all I could do was watch the ballet in an earnest fashion: marveling at the way the dancers moved and performed but not understanding why or how they dance.

It was entertaining to watch the dancers move with utter grace and fluidity. They would do stretches and poses that looked impossible to do if I tried to replicate there moves. It was passionate, and at times, extreme how they tried to portray the feelings through nothing but dance. There wasn’t a word that was uttered during the dance; you only could hear deep and time breaths, the slapping of their hands, and the pounding of their feet.

The first few dances to me were quite abstract. It was trying to portray some sort of feeling; I found it to be happiness. They were all dancing collectively, as if they were expressing happiness and good will as a human force. The music that they danced too was often quite positive and happy; it consisted of piano, strings, and often brass.

The dances after the first intermission conveyed a much different emotion to me. It was sadness and desperation as the dancers usually danced separately. The music was much more mellow and depressing, as usually a single violin or viola played music to which the dancers dramatically danced to. It made me feel sad and disappointed inside about how the dancers expressed their movements and the music that was being played.

The last set of dances after the final intermission was in stark contrast to the ones done before. It was jazzy, it was upbeat in that you wanted to follow a long, and it was something you’d just want to be part of. You could even see it on the dancer’s faces; they smiled and gave even a quiet chuckle as they danced to the groove. I personally preferred the first two set of dances, even if the third one was memorable and entertaining. There’s something more in-depth about the first two that draws me in.

Complexions was a great ballet to watch; it definitely gave me a new impression about ballet itself!

Complexions

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The projected sweat, the deep breathes, the sweet caresses: nearly every aspect of Complexions Contemporary Ballet left me in awe. The performance as a whole was broken into three, and some were better than others.

It started off with a contemporary dance with what I believe was a storyline of male versus female, bridging off towards topics such as seclusion and heartbreak. The males and females would sometimes dance as pairs, leave their partner or dance alone as others stared. As a whole, a full liner storyline can be difficult to interpret, so I decided to fully focus on one dancer. I created a story for him: he was the man with brown curly hair and nameless. He immediately caught my attention after bouncing up and down; making me laugh and grasping my emotions. At times I noticed his sadness as others danced, his happiness when he danced. He seemed to be a loner trying to find a companion, so he would often stare with wonder at the other characters. I identified with him and was drawn to his story, but I wish I could have done the same for all the dancers; a daunting task based on the wide variety of personal stories being told on stage.

The second part was by far my favorite. As the curtain rose, I heard deep, saddening music, and right away I was touched emotionally. I had so many favorite parts of this show; one being the two seemingly naked males dancing. It was slightly provocative, potentially homosexual, but the crisp movements of their body and the chemistry between the dancers were simply beautiful. To me, the two dancers portrayed a love story with potential problems and heartaches, and when one dancer tried to leave the stage and the other pulled him back, I felt the tension and quick desire between them. The final scene was so graceful, as the two dancers held a disconnected embrace.

The other dance I particularly enjoyed was with three dancers: two up front and one in the back. The dancers in the front seemed to be wearing black robes doing a traditional Japanese dance. It felt extremely proper, but in an artistic and elegant in tone. However, the artist in the back is what I enjoyed the most: he danced in front of a white screen making him appear as a shadow and dancing as he wanted to. This gave the dance a direct juxtaposition: traditional versus the internally pleasing. It reminded me of oppressive parents, the two dancers adhering to their strict traditional beliefs of dance, as their child is in the back dancing as he wants to, making motions off whim and pleasure as opposed to tradition.

The final act was my least favorite, it was lively but it seemed off putting compared to the beautifully constructed first parts. The whole dance seemed to be a bad Broadway musical reminiscent of dancing at a club. Sure it was fun and enjoyable, but I felt that it was all over the place and I couldn’t focus on one character or one dance like I’d want to.

Complexions at Joyce Theater

This past Tuesday, we visited Complexions at Joyce Theater. After seeing what contemporary dancing was like in class, I was excited to see the performance!

During the first half of the performance, it was very difficult for me to understand the story behind the dancers’ movements. I remember one point where I thought “oh, my gosh! It’s a romance story and the two men are fighting over one woman!” But, then another woman came into the picture and five other men rushed onto the stage as well. The complexity was very admirable but it was also hard to comprehend. The background music was also very dragged out. It was hard to tell apart the beginning, middle, and end.

Like Professor Eversley pointed out in class, the dancers moved with the beat of the music. I could only imagine the time and energy the dancers and choreographers dedicated to perfect the performance. When the dancers twirled, you could see their sweat from their forehead hit the floor as they quickly twirled. I bet if I watched the performance again, I would understand the story line/meaning better. I wonder if the dancers exactly understand the meaning behind each step, and each move. I love how passionate they are about dancing. Their drive and determination makes this performance even more special!

I LOVED THE SECOND PART OF THE PERFORMANCE. LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! I felt like it was more livelier! The music and the song lyrics made it more easier for me to understand. I wonder what dances the dancers personally liked better. I wonder if there was an intention behind the difference of choreography and music between the two paradoxical performances. I wonder what the costumes signify. I remember the first performance had women in a black one piece and men were in black “underwear” shaped outfits. In the second performance, dancers were wearing nude colored spandex, I believe. Then, if I remember correctly, actors then changed into a span of different color tops with tight white jeans. All the costumes were so unique. I wonder if the costumes were created first or if the dances were. I wonder how they found the music.

What did you guys feel about the performance? Did you guys like the second half better?

On the language of modern dance

On Tuesday, November 26, we will see a series of performances by Complexions Contemporary Ballet, at The Joyce Theater (175 8th Avenue @19th Street) at 7:30PM.  The performance will run 2 approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including two intermissions.  We will meet in front of the theater at 7PM.  In preparation for this performance, we’ll watch and discuss the following during class:

“A History of Modern Dance”

“Martha Graham–A Dancer Revealed”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozu2M1nD1B4&list=PL7D1E529959368B33

Martha Graham’s “A Dancer’s World” (1957)

“Merce Cunningham at 90”

Merce Cunningham Dance Company at BAM

 

 

Here is an interview with Desmond Richardson, Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet: