SO. MANY. FEELS.

Even though I have been to plenty of dance concerts, I have never been to a concert quite like this. Each performance brought its own set of emotions to me. By the end of the show I felt a combination of nostalgia, excitement, fear, admiration, and awe.

Concerto by the Lucinda Childs Dance Company was the opening performance. All of the dancers were dressed in black and had blank expressions on their faces. Their movements were very precise and followed a repetitive circular path. I thought that this dance was meant to show the monotony of everyday life and how people tend to stick to one particular path in life.

The second performance was called Neue Suite by the Semperoper Ballet Dersden Company. Neue Suite had more elements of traditional ballet and reminded me of when my parents would take me to see the New York City Ballet. I enjoyed how this piece showcased the grace of the male and female dancers. Female dancers seem to have a natural elegance within them while male dancers are traditionally seen as the support for the woman. It was so refreshing to see men show off the same finesse and poise that women typically have. There was a huge contrast between the last couple and the previous couples. The last couple was dressed in all black while the previous couples wore lighter colors. The music that the previous couple danced to was very soft and serene. Conversely, the music the final couple danced to was loud and eerie. Unlike the other couples, the final couple seemed to have a toxic and destructive relationship.

The third performance, AP15, had a very futuristic vibe. The man and woman in the dance wore modern clothes and made stiff robotic movements. It almost seemed like there was a cat and mouse dynamic between the couple. What impressed me the most about this piece was the acrobatic component. As I watched the two dancers do jumps and flips across the stage, I couldn’t help but wonder how much trial and error went into practicing these complex moves.

MINUS 16 by the Alvin Ailey Company was the final performance of the concert. The number started out with a man in a business suit dancing awkwardly. Gradually, more people in business suits came out and did more awkward dancing. Besides being incredibly hilarious, this dance showed how even the most serious of people have a silly side. The next part of the performance was very eerie. Once again, all of the dancers were wearing suits. But this time, the dancers all sat in a semi-circle and had solemn expressions on their faces. Their movements were very synchronized and it almost looked like the dancers were possessed by some kind of spirit. The chanting that occurred during the performance reminded of a religious ceremony. As the dance progressed, the dancers began to take off their clothes. However, one performer continued to fall on the stage throughout the performance and did not take off his suit. To me,it seemed like he was the odd ball of the group because he was the only one who was unable to keep up with the demands of the ceremony.

In the final (and most exciting) part of the performance, the performers broke the third wall and picked members of the audience to dance with them on stage. Even though this led to some awkward encounters, some of the audience members upstaged the professionals. Although only a few people were picked to perform on stage, everyone in the audience felt involved. The whole night was nothing short of AMAZING.