by nicholas
Of the four performances in the Fall for Dance presentation, the one in which dancer interaction was most clear was the second, “Mo(or)town.” The performance was based primarily on Othello, a play focusing around betrayal and a white handkerchief which eventually tears a group of friends apart. The performance can be divided into two categories – moments in which the entire cast is onstage, and moments in which just two characters are interacting.
In the full group scenes, the entire group moves as one, having very unified movements involving a great deal of physical contact and unity with one another. They are a close group who are comfortable with one another, and attempt to maintain this facade as the dance continues.
In the separate scenes, however, every motion is an attempt by one dancer to steal away the white hankerchief from the other. Each graceful movement is coupled with a desperate reach for the object of each character’s desire, and each dance becomes an elaborate duel between the two performers, doing all in their power to claim the important object.
December 13th, 2013
by Maria Camila Osorio
Not only was the theater gorgeous, but the performances themselves were of great quality. I truly enjoyed the tap dancing. Those tend to be the kind of performances that set the standards pretty high for the rest of the night. I did see that that night as well. All of the different rhythms and beats the performers conveyed through that wooden floor made me sit at the edge of my chair. I consider myself to be a crazy romantic, and seeing that Motown theme on the next performance was very enjoyable. The couples danced so beautifully together. Although I was sitting far away from them, I could sense the connection they all had through dancing. I did enjoy the rest of the performances, but the highlights of my night were the tap dancing and the Motown segment.
December 12th, 2013
by Sherry Sara Oommen
Whoever decided the order for the playbill and placed the Martha Graham Company’s performance of “The Rite of Spring” immediately after the Russian Ballet’s performance was a genius. Traditional ballet is full of pointed toes, grace, and elegance. However, in “The Rite of Spring”, there was stomping, no pointed toes whatsoever, and the concept was full of savagery and sacrifice and the music sounded like a battle cry at times. The order of the performance could not have been any better planned. It helps the audience realize that “The Rite of Spring” is not to be taken lightly and to understand how controversial it was when it first was performed. Today, all forms of expression are accepted and to not accept would award one with the title of being “Conservative.” Of course, the combination of music and choreography were the main components to setting this performance aside from all other, but the order of the “Fall for Dance Festival” helped it unique character become more emphasized.
December 10th, 2013
by Hynes
“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.
December 3rd, 2013
by adriana
Watching the performances were beautiful.In particular the Motown piece, was a tap performance. Watching them move along the stage and creating their own music with the tapping of their feet was breath taking. During the performance there wasn’t just one beat that was continuous throughout, but there were able to create a wide variety.
In contrast the ballet was very soft and fluid. While the Motown performers had to rely on the taps they made for their music the ballet performers were very light on their feet. You could hardly hear them as the leapt across the stage.
Being able to watching the two pieces were amazing and seeing the differences between the types of dance performances was a learning experience.
December 1st, 2013
by Christian Budhi
The music in the third performance created a new dimension to the dance. The cello was very dissonant, making it feel like it was revolving around the piano. In perspective to the dance, the music made it feel lonely and small compared to the space that the music created.
December 1st, 2013
by kmccallum
As Jenny Hynes would put it, the lighting was “super pretty” for the classical ballet number: blue lighting to soften the stage and accentuate the somber tone of the music, and gold spotlighting on the dancers. The colour choice gave the piece an ethereal and attractive quality. Contrariwise, the Motown lighting changed depending on the mood the dancers were conveying at the moment. It appealed to the base associations we make to those specific colours: red for passion, green for envy, and so on. The tap dance focused on the dancers’ feet, and the lighting helped direct the audience’s attention appropriately. The performance of Rite of Spring used lighting to add depth to the stage and set, fiery orange depicting the glare of the sun, or the heat of an active volcano.
November 20th, 2013
by sarabrownr
In the opening tap number, there wasn’t any single story. There were multiple stories all told through the taps. Tapping back and forth between two dancers created a sort of dialogue, and the story was told through those “conversations”. The motown number was a very dramatic re-imagining of Othello, and so the story was central to the choreography, and was brilliantly acted by the facial expressions and body’s of the dancers. The third number was very somber and fluid, but very open to interpretation, there was no set story. The Rite of Spring followed a very scary, but clear story that was told through costumes, choreography, and music.
November 17th, 2013
by Shinnosuke Takahashi
A critical part of any dance performance, lighting accentuates the mood and emotion of the dancers. From the color of the lights to the brightness, lighting provides a subtle yet crucial connection between the viewer and the performer.
November 14th, 2013
by Linda Dayan
Fall for Dance
music
What was so clever about the use of music in the first performance was that there was none; it radiated from the feet of the dancers.
I noticed how well the song choice matched the mood of each individual dance. When the music was ominous, the audience felt it too.
October 29th, 2013
by michellecherian95
In all four dances, the costumes contributed to the mood of the pieces. For example, in the fourth dance, the black and grey, minimalist costumes represented the ominous and primal essence of the dance.
October 29th, 2013
by kmishra
The costumes in these performances were not traditional. Never have been to a dance
performance like such, I was expecting extravagant costumes and elaborate sets. The
costumes were very simple because they aimed to focus on the actual dancing or music,
rather than being distracted by clothes.
October 28th, 2013
by Michael Franco
Music- In the first piece, the “Sound Space Tap Dance,” I thought it was amazing to hear how each individual’s rhythm blended together into a harmony of sounds. Their melodies created discrete, mathematical, metric units of sound that made the dance truly come to life.
October 27th, 2013
by sarahkabariti
I focused on the music aspect of this dance concert; I found the music to be varying a lot throughout the concert. In the first part of the concert the dance was tap-dance. The dancers created music with their shoes, they created a rhythm that was in sync with each other. The dance was approximately 30 minutes long and it was impressive to watch the dancers tapping for that long. At one point they all marched as though they were soldiers in an army, and when I closed my eyes I heard the marching so clearly as if they were right next to me. The second dance included various songs that had a bluesy and jazzy tune. The chosen tune allowed the dancers to be in a more playful mood and they danced as though they were just having fun. The fourth dance consisted of music that was serious and scary, which corresponded to the dance, portraying an aggressive mood.
October 27th, 2013
by Thomas Saw Aung
The Fall for Dance used a variety of lighting. The lights during the tap dancing section focused first on specific tap dancers, then on the legs on only and ended by illuminating the entire stage. Majority of the light during the tap dance was bright or dim white light. Motown that followed used and assortment of blue, red, yellow and white light. The color of the light was used to signify a specific mood. Ballet used primarily blue light in darker or lighter shades. The shade of blue depended on the feelings of the performance. Rites of Spring used white light in addition to yellow and orange light to portray a storm and the rising sun. The weather depended on the performance’s dramatic and peaceful moments.
October 25th, 2013
by gloriasafdieh
I focused on the dancers’ costumes during the festival. In the tap dance the dancers were wearing plain clothing- the attention was directed to their feet, and all the dancers were wearing the same white tap shoes. In the Motown dance, the suits, sweater-vests, and classy dresses added to the character and soul of Motown. In the ballet piece, the costumes were mainly sheer tops and leggings, so the viewers could focus on the bodies and the way they moved together harmoniously. In the “Rite of Spring” piece, the men were wearing only underwear, while the women were wearing sheer tops and flowy skirts. There was also one man wearing a cloak. These costumes portrayed drama and flamboyance, giving off a startling sense of urgency and power.
October 24th, 2013
by Adam
I was surprised to see that the Fall For Dance Festival lacked the use of props and did not have much scenery. In the first act, which was tap dancing, the removable wooden floor piece in the front and the platforms in the rear were props that were necessary for the dancers to perform. The one prop that I did, in fact, notice during the duration of the four acts was the handkerchief in the second act. The handkerchief was vital to that act because it relayed to the audience, without the use of words, the trickery and deceit that one man was under the impression that was taking place. Since this was a dance performance, as opposed to a musical or play, I had the notion that the use of props would be less likely, which it happened to be.
October 24th, 2013
