When I initially noticed the Ralph Lemmon Dance on the syllabus back in September, two thoughts ran through my head – first, how am I going to get to Brooklyn and second, I can easily stay in the house all day without going anywhere. As we began reading through the syllabus, I got really excited – we were going to see a dance piece! Little did I know that the performance would be nothing like what I expected.
I arrived at the theater, and showed my ticket to the usher. I knew I was sitting in the orchestra section, but I had no idea how close to the stage my seat was. I was in the third row, practically sitting on the stage. I was able to hear the thumps as the dancers threw themselves onto the ground, and I saw the sweat dripping from their faces. As close as I was to the stage, I was still envious of the members of the audience who sat in the first row – they really were sitting on the stage.
The dance show began with a movie, which struck me as rather odd. When the screen came down, I figured there would be a little film introduction, not more than 10 minutes long. I was most definitely mistaken. The movie went on for more than 30 minutes, and I spent the majority of the time trying to discern the purpose of showing it. I kept saying to myself, “This performance is only an hour and a half…When are the music and dancing going to start?”
The dancing eventually began; however, the music never did. The dancers came onto the stage, barefoot, wearing leggings similar to the leggings I used to wear for jazz. They then started moving around the stage, with no apparent form or rhythm. It was a confusing modern dance segment to watch and it went on for about 20 minutes. Luckily for our class, Professor Profeta of Queens College, worked with Ralph Lemmon on the piece and came to our class to discuss the major themes and meanings behind the piece. She began her lecture by explaining to us that the dance involved in the 20 minutes of straight dancing, was indeed a form of freestyle dance. She used the term “minimally structured improvisation” to describe the technique. The dancers were given tasks that needed to be accomplished during the 20 minutes, and planned to be in certain locations of the stage at established times; however, the dancers were improvising for the majority of the segment.
While watching the performance, I didn’t understand the significance of the animals, such as the rabbit and the hare. To be honest, even after our discussion in class, I still don’t fully comprehend the point of including these animals in the performance. I was a little disappointed to learn that if I had been sitting further back in the theater I would have believed the dog was real: From my seat in the third row, I knew right away that it was fake. After the dog was projected on the stage for a few minutes, other animals appeared. When I saw these animals, my initial thought was that the dancers in the performance were supposed to be imitating animals. Most animals don’t think before they act – they just move their bodies on a whim. The performers, similar to animals, were letting their bodies lead rather than their brains.
I must say that the most interesting part of the night was when I got into my car to go home and I saw the dancers on their bikes outside of the theater. Usually, when I go to a Broadway show, the actors spend a long time backstage following the performances, and then sign playbills outside of the theater. This performance was definitely different than I was used to in many ways, and the fact that the dancers left immediately following the performance was the icing on the cake.
The Ralph Lemmon Dance seems to encompass many random ideas and emotional states into one performance. Although I did not personally find the piece to be as entertaining as some of the other shows we enjoyed this semester, I am happy to have had the opportunity to see a modern dance piece. Still, the next time I go to a dance show, I expect to hear music.
