It is always interesting to appreciate how many different perspectives the audience can have when observing a work of art, especially a dance performance. Today, we held a vote in class for the best performance from Fall for Dance, and all three of us guys selected “Rhythmdome,” the tap/hip-hop piece. On the other hand, 11 of the girls selected the “Keigwin + Company.” Furthermore, the piece that most people seemed to like the least was “AfterLight Part 1.” In fact, not to mention any names, but several students claimed that they “dozed off” during “AfterLight Part 1.”
Well, Gia Kourlas of The New York Times Dance Review would have added one vote for best performance to none other than “AfterLight Part 1.” Kourlas harshly criticizes all of the performances, aside for the one that our class seemed to give the worst rating. Kourlas describes “AfterLight Part 1” as “the finest contribution” of the night. “It was enchanting,” according to Kourlas; yet, according to several our classmates, it is seemed to suck the energy out of the audience much more than it enchanted us.
This begs the question: What did Kourlas see that we did not? Kourlas indeed recognizes the tiring aspect of the piece, but he prefers to describe it as “languorous.” One definition I found of languor is “the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness or inertia.” Therefore, while many viewers viewed the tiredness of “AfterLight Part 1” as a negative, Kourlas felt a more pleasant tiredeness. Another aspect of the dance that Kourlas appreciated was the mesmerizing effect of the dancer’s movements. The subtle movements made Kourlas perceive that the dancer was “floating in space” at first, and later “fighting his way through fog.” At the conclusion of the dance, Kourlas says the dancer “was as distant and remote as a figure in a music box.”
I personally had “AfterLight Part 1” ranked as my third favorite piece out of the four. But after reading Kourlas’s eye-opening review, I have a totally new outlook on the aesthetic of the piece. That is truly the beauty of art.
Read how Kourlas critiques the other three dance performances
I was impressed at how closely this reviewed mirrored our discussion of the Dance program. I did describe Afterlight Part 1 as the most refined piece of the evening (Sushi, as opposed to Lasagne). I think it is interesting to see how your first-response can be modified by further inquiry and discussion. (And there is nothing wrong with a good plate of lasagne!)