My first impressions as I walked into the theater told me, “This is no Met.” Similarly, the performances were vastly different. While Carmen was large and very grand, Complexions was smaller and more bare, focusing more on the individual and expressions through body movement.

When the dance began, I was immediately awestruck by the level of athleticism and flexibility each dancer possessed. We sat close enough to see all the muscles flexing during each move, and the dancers’ rising and falling chests as they struggled for air. It was amazing to see all the physical feats that they could do.Following this, however, I quickly became confused. Complexions was for me a very different experience than any theatrical or musical performance that I’ve been to. My sister does traditional ballet, and every year when I go to her recitals the story is very easy to follow and obvious- whether it be the Nutcracker or Swan Lake, it was very easy for me to understand what was going on and what I was looking at. Perhaps that made it more difficult to comprehend Complexions. Throughout each performance, I found it difficult to piece together a concrete storyline; I could not understand how the title related to the moves the dancers were performing. The only visible action throughout the first dance that I could discern were the dancers imitating birds trying to escape a cage, which I found very convincing. By the first intermission, I was unsure of what I was really watching.

Fortunately, the following dances made more sense to me, and the shorter performances helped to clarify some confusions. They indicated to me that the dances focused more on expressing an emotion. I particularly liked the solo dances- I felt the dancer was most “free” and able to express himself the best when he was the focus of the stage.

The final dance began very interestingly, with a loud, upbeat dramatic soundtrack injecting energy and enthusiasm into the performance. However, as it dragged on and on, I felt, once again, confused by what I was watching. While it was entertaining to watch the dancers, I could not figure out any kind of story, or path that the dance was following.

In the end, I was left with a very perplexing view of the ballet.  On one hand, I really enjoyed the dance- it was very graceful and elegant, yet at the same time very powerful and fierce. The athleticism and flexibility of the dancers made a very strong impression on me, and I appreciated how “into” the performance they were, especially Youngsil Kim, the Asian dancer. Even though I couldn’t understand the dance, her constant smile as she performed really helped convey positive emotions to me. I also enjoyed the fact that there was live music playing at times. This really helped bring life to the performances, as opposed to a pre-recorded track sounding robotic and lifeless.

On the other hand, I do not know what to make of the overall performance. With no discernible thing to focus on and say, “Wow, that dance was really good at expressing __”, I am left to wonder about what the nature of the entire program. After reading some of the other posts and looking online, I realized that the dance was focused more on portraying the emotions. Unfortunately, I was unable to realize this during the performance.

Although my feelings of Complexion are not entirely favorable, I did enjoy the experience. I am glad that I was able to see modern up close, and to determine for myself whether I liked it or not. I am grateful that now I have a new appreciation for the art of dance, and how much effort and physical strength is needed. Maybe simply the reason why I didn’t like it as much is because it’s just not my cup of tea. Or maybe it is an acquired taste, and as I become more well-versed in these kinds of things I’ll be able to understand and appreciate them better. Only time will tell.