Coming into this event, I did not know exactly what to expect never having experienced this type of modern live dance. At first, I was a little disappointed that we were sitting in the top row close to the corner, but once the curtains opened up I was surprised by the many physical specimens in front of my eyes, reminding me of Greek sculptures. I was in awe with how much the dancers were able to stretch out their lanky, muscular bodies out. I was additionally very impressed with how (especially in the first scene) all the members of “The Company” were dancing completely in sync and how they were able to remember every single subtle move.
With each new scene came a specific color of attire that all the dancers wore, giving the impression of organized uniformity, however although they wore the same colors, the types of attire varied – from tight pants to tight shorts which added the dimension of individualism and uniqueness.
The dance made me ask myself a few questions:
How did they have the flexibility, stamina, and talent to continuously perform flawlessly over the course of hours?
How did they all walk with a perfect posture on their tippy toes with all of their body weight pushing down?
How were they able to slide their feet on the ground, or come crashing down on their feet with a loud thump that can be heard from all the way where we were sitting – without hurting themselves?
These questions can all by answered by the sheer talent that these dancers all have and the amount of hard work they put in.
Lastly, I felt that the music was almost as important to the performance, as the dance itself! The music set the audience’s mood and provided us with a lens with which we interpret the dance – whether it be happy, lustful, or sacred.
My first trip to see a modern dance was definitely a success, and I hope to see more performances like this in the future!
This past weekend I was at the iconic Madison Square Garden to see the final stop of the “I Am Hardwell” tour, staring DJ Magazine’s #1 DJ Hardwell. The concert was five hours of energy filled EDM (Electronic Dance) music. This type of music is sometimes criticized as being pointless to go see live, because it is believed that is just as entertaining to put on a pair of headphones and listen to the same pre recorded music that is played at the concert.
However, after my first EDM concert this weekend, I totally disagree with that claim. When I was there in the beginning I wasn’t too sure what to expect. When Dannic was playing his set, he didn’t play too many songs with heavy bass drops, but music to get the crowd in the dancing mood for the main event. Once it was time for the headline act to come onto the stage, it was an experience like no other. One big theme of EDM and these concerts or rave type events is the idea of being one with the music and spirit. Before Hardwell actually came on the stage there was a long intro of a man talking about the universe and dreaming, which made the whole vibe of the even so surreal. After Hardwell came on the stage the crowd was going wild from the beginning to the end of his 3-hour set. Now as I said earlier, all of the music is prerecorded way before the concert date. Having said this, the role that the dj has is to run the energy of the crowd in a way that allows them to be engaged in the music at all times without tiring them out at the same time. They pick and choose songs that they seamlessly mix together with high and low energy levels throughout the night. Without mixing the music the way that Hardwell does so well, the music can become repetitive and boring after a while. What Hardwell does so well is mix the songs in a way that it seams that the beat is always changing but so smoothly that it is all just one big song.
After such a great experience, I can guarantee that I will be attending as many as time and money let me. If you are even slightly into this genre of music I definitely recommend going to one of these concerts, as I believe there is nothing like it. 
Three weeks ago I had first opera experience and now I just had my first modern dance experience seeing Complexions Contemporary Ballet at the Joyce Theater.
The first thing I noticed about the performances were the dancers. All of them were very flexible, and even though I knew beforehand that modern dance requires dancers to be highly flexible, seeing the flexibility in person was astonishing. One of the moments that surprised me was when one of the dancers stood and maintained her balance on her left leg while lifting her right leg into the air until her legs formed a straight, vertical line; it was something I could never imagine myself doing.
The second aspect I noticed was the constant shifting of music in pace and tone. The shifts were sudden and they happened not only between each performance but also in the middle of the performances. For example, during the first performance, Head Space, the music shifted from a slow, gentle tone in the beginning to a more upbeat and faster tone and then to music that sounded alarming and instilled a sense of danger. At first, the constant shifting of the music was confusing and the shifts made it difficult to try and understand what was happening, what was the underlying message or theme in the performance. However, I realized that the constant shifts in music were not used for a theme. Rather they reflected emotions and how in humans, emotions can constantly and suddenly change.
The final aspect I noticed was the lack of a concrete story line and a defining idea for each of the performances which emphasized the idea of freedom associated with modern dance in contrast to traditional ballet. There were no descriptions of each performance in the information booklets given out; each member of the audience was left to decide and interpret the meaning of each performance based solely on what they saw. Although some performances such as the biblical allusion of The Testament had a general tone to the performance, most were open to many different interpretations.
Overall, my first modern dance experience was definitely something that was very unique; I had never seen people move their legs and arms in that kind of way before so watching modern dance was seeing something that was completely unfamiliar to me.
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