Fall for Dance Story/Review
“Fall for Dance” was a unique show in that the program had a wide range of styles and stories. The first part was a tap dance section, where there was no music, only the tapping sound of the dancers feet. It started off with three dancers on blocks and expanded to a line of dancers. At one point there was almost a competition vibe on stage because of the call and response section between three soloists. Although there was no clear story told from expressions or acting, the tapping beat never dropped and each person was playing a unique character through the way he or she danced. It was astounding because at times there were up to twenty people on stage, yet there was never a stray tap. The second act we saw had used a kind of ballroom dance and more modern, at times Motown, music. This told the story of Othello, the Shakespeare tragedy. In the first part we see a happy couple, representing Othello and Desdemona. They look happy and romantic, and the music adds to this vibe. Then, we see Othello give her the handkerchief. She drops it later in the story and we see another dancer (Iago) pick it up. There is a scene where Both couples (Othello and Desdemona, Iago and his wife) are dancing, and it seems a little competitive. We also get a dance segment where we see Iago mistreating his wife, and Iago and Othello seemingly bonding before the handkerchief is revealed. The last scene is a harsh dance where we can clearly see that Othello has killed Desdemona. I thought that this was an interesting take on the story, however I did not enjoy it as much as the first piece. Contrasting to this section, the next was a calm modern ballet duet with a bass and piano duet. The piece was called “Brothers,” and both dancers were extremely masculine looking, however one was female. The dance also looked like a romantic one, so I’m curious as to what exact story it is telling. I love this dance because of the calm and romantic feel and the live duet happening behind the dancers, The last section was a portion of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” which at one point in history had been banned because of content. The portion we saw had harsh movements and seemed almost cult like. We saw a young woman being kidnapped for sacrifice and tortured an raped all through the dance movement. The music and sharp movement made this piece scary and unsettling. I though that it was very well done and an interesting way to end the program, since it was the oldest piece on there.
