Parson’s Dance at Bryant Park was a wonderful introduction to many aspects of the dance world. The artistry, dedication, fluid lines, athleticism, etc. were all in place. They also demonstrated an amazing capacity to rehearse and work. I love the inventiveness of Modern dance, but I also appreciate the “classical” lines that Parson’s incorporates. This clip juxtaposes those two strands of his work.
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Professor: Edward Smaldone
Edward.Smaldone@qc.cuny.eduITF: Maggie Dickinson
Email: maggie.dickinson@gmail.com
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This clip certainly does a great job of highlighting Parsons’ balance of the modern and traditional in his choreography. During the actual performance last night, I was also very impressed by the director’s use of color and lighting. The main female dancer (seen in the foreground of this clip) was dressed all in pink, while the background dancers wore more subdued colors. One of the main male dancers was also highlighted by color throughout the work, this time with bright purple pants. Unfortunately, you cannot see this contrast in the clip of the rehearsal, but it did a great job of enhancing the work and directing the audience’s focus.
I also really enjoyed the singer’s interaction with the dancers throughout the work. He was not a separate entity but a component of the choreography, and I think that also kept things interesting and enjoyable.
This group was definitely worthwhile seeing!
I loved the show we saw live. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to a show based solely on dance, and I just fell in love with it. I think they did a great job and i loved how they told a story through their dancing. It was so easy to follow, and I actually sympathized with some of the “characters.” It’s too bad that I didn’t have the time to stay for their actual performance at 6, but their rehearsal alone was amazing.
Even if we did not get to stay for the 6pm performance, I’m glad we had this great introduction to the art of dance. This definitely prepared us for our class discussion today, and now I feel ready to understand future dance performances that we will see. It’s always interesting to see tradition battle and/or blend with modern innovation!
This was the first time I have ever seen a live performance of dance and I have to say it was quite enjoyable. It was interesting to see the different types of movements the crew incorporated into their routine. The real performance at 6pm would probably be even more spectacular since they would be in the proper attire and be more organized. I really found one of the female dancers (i forgot her name) to be amazing because she was so precise with her movements, especially when the moves involved balance. My favorite part was when the males carried the females flatly on their back, it showed what Prof. Smaldone was talking about in class on how the males were always used in dance mainly for their strength.
I really enjoyed this performance, and it really opened my eyes to a whole new world of dance. I have not been to a ton of dance performances, but this one was one of the best I’ve seen by far. The dancers really did an amazing job of conveying the emotions of the storyline. I was surprised by how easily I was able to understand what was going on, and it was so interesting to me that an actual story could be told through dancing. The music did help a lot in understanding the story, and I really liked the song choices. The only thing that would have made it better is if I was able to see the actual performance!