Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

When I read this article, I immediately thought of the Fall for Dance performance that we went to see.  The article describes the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, under the direction of Italian choreographer Jacopo Godani, which consists of 15 very talented dancers.  In a recent exhibition at the Joyce, the dance crew performed two very contrasting pieces.  The way in which the first dance was described reminded me of the After Light Part One performance from Fall for Dance.  The Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet group was divided, and only six dancers performed for the first dance.  The dance was comprised of very slow, minute movements.  As stated in the article, “every move is achieved through a muscular fusillade of ripples; the performers can’t reach out a hand without undulating their spines first, during, and after the gesture.”  As Professor Smaldone had mentioned in class regarding the After Light dance, that type of movement is extremely difficult.  The control needed to maintain a particular pose is so great, and while it may look as if “anyone could do it”, this type of dance is not easy at all.  The article also spoke about how the lighting added to “the atmosphere”.  After Light Part One was not my favorite dance of the night, but I did really enjoy the lighting, and thought it added a great deal to the performance.

The second dance performed by the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet was a complete turn-around from the first one.  It featured all of the 15 dancers, and was choreographed by Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman.  This piece is titled Hubbub, and the name certainly reflects the dance.  The whole performance is basically one big commotion on stage.  The stage is cluttered from beginning to end, with both dancers and objects such as papers, a typewriter, and movable tables.  A voice can be heard speaking above the music, introducing each of the dancers as “participants”.  At one point, all the dancer speak loudly at one time, creating a sort of  gibberish.  This piece kind of reminds me of the first performance from Fall for Dance.  While not quite as busy with the talking and such, it was certainly not lacking movement.  The music, costumes, and quick, synchronized dance steps created a sense of business and purpose.  Compared with the After Light dance, the first performance could be considered a bit of a “hubbub”.

I just really thought this article was interesting because it applied so directly to my experience with Fall for Dance.  With each new article or blog post I read, I find that I am able to apply the things read more and more with personal experiences, which is really cool!

Click here for the article!