Fallen in Love with Dance

The dance show was awesome!

The opening act was Lucinda Childs, the very one discussed in class. It played with the shapes and designs, illusions and formats. It was very repetitive– dancers kept their poises and their expressions were plain. They were dressed in simple dark outfits. I could see that the dance took much stamina and it grew more difficult to stay strong towards the end. When the music stopped and they all faced front, you could see how heavily they were breathing and sweating. At one point, I looked to my right, and Diana was smiling and enjoying the show a great deal, mesmerized by the grace and talent of the company.

The second act was about the physical interactions of partners. I loved the first couple. They were extremely elegant and danced delicately. I loved the ballet element of it. The girl looked like a princess and was amazing en pointe. The couple just looked so happy together and had amazing chemistry. I liked the different colors of the dancers’ costumes; to me it represented woodland creatures and fairies.

The third dance was between two people. I liked that the Asian girl seemed to add Asian movements to her style and the white man moved in a modern American way. I liked the few stunts that they pulled and used to wow the audience. Their choreography really showed the tension and attraction between them, as I could tell that there was a story in their romance. At first, the guy was like a shadow and stalked the girl, and then he advanced and retreated, and the girl chased and escaped, back and forth. I love that the music was modern and their movements were not traditional, but the Asian girl looked so cool in her facial expressions and the way she moved showed a powerful character. The dance was like a relationship translated into art, and I was amazed at how well I could connect to it and even related. I discovered that it was a special medium in which I could be abstract as well as express myself and translate real life experiences to something anyone can appreciate and “read”.

The last dance was thoroughly entertaining. The first man in the front was hilarious. I was laughing so hard and boy, could he dance! I loved the company’s unique introduction and how easily they took a famous dance and made it their own. They created a meaning and extended the story of Minus 16, and smoothly transitioned into the well-known choreography. To me, the routine was about working people (those in professional suits) and their desire to freely express themselves or be who they are on the inside. In offices, they cannot fully show their identities and therefore, they emit a little bit of their light from time to time. That is why the man would dance and slowly try to go back into his first position. It was further demonstrated well into Minus 16 as the dancers were taking off their clothes and did the cannon “explosion” move while the last dancer kept falling on the floor (which I thought was funny). Perhaps the stress of work bothers us on the inside and makes us physically weak on the outside. The following duet dance was very intimate and showed strength and trust. They were in underwear so I thought that this meant they were husband and wife in their home after a long day of work. I especially loved the part when they took people from the audience and just improvised with them. Then they incorporated them into their choreography and just danced with them on stage. It was hilarious and amazing! They were so wonderful and talented.

It was a great experience.  In the end I stood up and participated in the standing ovation. It was great to give back after all their hard work :)