The Arts in New York City

The opening act, Para-Dice, of the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve was a shock. It was not at all what I was expecting. In fact I would go so far as to say it was not at all ballet. Perhaps not even dance as I know it. Or movement if one limits the body to what one knows it is able to do. This piece choreographed by Saburo-Teshigawara was most definitely something new. That “newness” begins with the music selection, a minimalistic exercise in high pitches. As difficult to listen to, as it was, perhaps, to dance to; the music created a haunting, reverberating environment of another world for the dancers. That essence was deftly interpreted by the choreography and costumes. Teshigawara created a dynamic day-glow installation of modernity. The piece summed the future up and at the same time reminded us that the future is a part of us, now. The exaggerated movements of the dancers’ bodies combined with perfectly subtle or stark costumes added to the effect of the unknown. It was all very new, however importantly incorporated elements of reality. For example while many of the dancer’s movements were motions or series of motions that one never thinks to make, the fact that they were human and that a lot of these bizarre movements were built upon a basis of the body made the experience more realistic. I was most impressed with the dancers themselves, for the precision of their work and the elaborate dance sequences they gracefully performed. It was an impressive feat, however perhaps not as enjoyable as it could have been. Yet must all dance be enjoyable? For the dancer or the audience? I was impressed with the freshness of this act, the dancers are skilled and well trained and the work they are doing is beautiful, though sometimes strange.

~ H. Phoebe d’Heurle

My favorite piece of the evening was “Loin”. The two pieces had so many things that ticked me off. I didn’t enjoy the way the dancers were constantly throwing themselves on the floor in the second piece. I also did not like the way the dancers used eachother. They never seemed to interact with eachother, they simply used eachother as props in their own dancing. The thing that I love most about ballet, when I am dancing, is that I am constantly looking, and communicating with the other dancers on stage with me. When there is a pas de deux, the two dancers look eachother in the eye, then they look away, and it is so dramatic. I didn’t see any drama in these pieces. I saw a lot of anguish, but there was never any solution to the problems presented. There was just so much isolation and agony in the movements. I was in awe of the way the dancers were able to use their bodies, and all of their strength, but I could not stand the story. I also did not like the costumes of the first two dances. In the first dance, all of the men were dressed exactly the same way, but all of the women had different costumes, and I didn’t like the way they looked. I liked the idea of mesh, but the way it was cut and excessive pinning on the woman was distracting. The last dance was the only one in which the dancers seemed to be having a good time. I do not wish to go out to the theater to watch a bunch of people showing me the horrors of the world, and how little they like life. I know that life can be sucky, but there is always some good. I really like how the dance gradually brought the dancers together, so that by the end they became one unit. I also enjoyed the grace and the flow of the movements in the last piece.

-Noah Cramer

“Selon Desir” had me the minute the dancers made their entrance onto the stage. The costumes immediately grabbed my attention and maintained it; the fluid movement pulled me in with the rhythm of the music. The man with the red mullet helped too. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the second piece, “Para-Dice” wasn’t what I had hoped for and had let me down, both in the physical dance aspects as well as the aesthetic (the costumes were underwhelming in my opinion). I liked the use of loose, pleated silk skirts and billowy, sometimes color contrasting tops. The costumes moved independently of the dancer yet in time with the music. For some reason I couldn’t stop watching the skirts sway. As I recall, the second piece was the quickest. While I am a fan of modern dance and progressive and interpretive movement, I tend to loose focus when dancers don’t keep up some sort of continuous, quick movement. In the first piece I remember a lot of still moments in which I completely lost interest in the piece and would let my mind wander off to other thoughts; however, in the second piece, the continuity in the movement kept me watching. The dancers male-female, female-female, and male-male interaction was intriguing, as was the lifting-up of some women so as to present them to some sort of god. I disagree with Simone in that I didn’t find the dance sacreligious or blasphemous. I think the title’s translation “according to desire” correlates to the dances sexual undertones. It, like the other two pieces although from different choreographers, all suggested in one form or other sex. Whether through violence or passion, “Para-Dice”, “Selon Desir”, and “Loin” were all equally suggestive of sex. When looking at “Selon Desir” from a religious aspect, I can understand the opposition one might have toward the piece, but I think that modern dance usually is controversial. To see it from a religious viewpoint is only going to lead to disappointment, in my opinion. My favorite part of the entire piece was the movement in which the dancers leaped into a circle (I saw it as a whirlpool or sort of wind tunnel) and would leap around in harmony until they’d gracefully leap off stage. The simultaneous repetition and timing was hypnotizing. Most of all, though, I just loved the costumes.

-Casey Detrow

Upon viewing the three dance performances on Wednesday, I realized that I did not particularly enjoy them. I felt the pieces were incoherent and did not follow a certain theme or story. I had trouble trying to decipher what exactly the meaning behind the dances were, if there were any at all. However, I found the second piece to be the most enjoyable. In the opening number, when the single female dancer came out and seemed to be trying to escape something, her movements made it seem almost as though she were moving backward. The way her hair whipped around her face looked as though someone had put a videotape on rewind. I also greatly enjoyed the sort of pulse that occurred when all the dancers jumped at the same time. It reminded me of a heartbeat, each dancer a muscle, all working in unison to make the movement work. I also felt that the dance overall had a religious undertone. Frequently, the men would lift the women up from their waists to a position over the men’s heads and the women would hold their arms up as if nailed to a cross, reminiscent of the image of Christ on the cross. This notion was aided by the fact that in the beginning and end scenes, the music was eerie and deep, much like that which would be found in a Church. As for the name of the piece, “Selon Desir,” I felt this was a sort of stab at religion because it was criticizing the rigidity of religion. The “pulse” aforementioned required exact unison- no one could step out of place, while desire generally means doing what one pleases. The meaning of the title (according to desire) is contradictory to what religion stands for, which is a sacrifice of desire for a greater good.

-Simone Caccamo

Dear students,

      I will leave your papers with Betsy, in the Honors Lounge today Monday around lunch. Try to stop by to pick yours.

    I enjoyed going over your new and revised versions, all of them a striking improvement. In some cases, though, I am suggesting further revisions, tailored to your individual challenges or needs – the idea being that writing, like painting and dancing, involves its own skills and sometimes more practice!

     Don’t hesitate to come and see me for further advice or help. If you cannot make it to my office-hours, I suggest you contact me by Email for an appointment or then ask me on Wednesday.

      The paper’s grade reflects the quality of your description of the works, of your argument, use of secondary sources, and of your writing.

      On Wednesday, we will talk about your next assignment, the second paper for the course. Please remember your blog entry on dance, which I would like to see before we meet again.

          EE

MUSIC, classical, modern, “ethnic”, CINEMA, contemporary German film, Fassbinder, a silent movie with live musical accompaniment, CABARET in Berlin style…, LITERARY READINGS, discussions of ARCHITECTURE and the city.
There are a host of events to choose from, and I thought you might be drawn to at least some of them. Many of them will take place at Carnegie Hall, others at the MOMA. Even if we cannot go as a full class, you might to choose to go together with a group of friends. Meanwhile, I will find out what our budget looks like…

          EE

Hello!

    The instructions for your first blog entry on dance is posted under “discussion of events”. I look forward to reading it.

                     EE

Among the three pieces by the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve “Para-Dice”, “Selon Desir” (”according to desire”), and “Loin” (”far”), which one has your preference? Please write an entry for our blog, of a length of fifteen-twenty lines. Write it with care. Your entry should be more than just an opinion piece and will naturally include your presentation/description of what attracted you to this particular choreography/interpretation/music/costumes  etc.  Be sure to sign your entry and to post it no later than  Tuesday night 30th Oct.

 EE

P.S. In case you were not able to relate to any of the pieces we saw, please explain what you found difficult, off-putting or uninteresting in these modern choreographies, and offer an example, from our pool of images, of the kind of dancing you are drawn to.

Dear students,  

You may recall that I had planned a brief assignment in the form of a blog comment on the dance footage we watched on Wednesday. I have changed my mind, and will ask, instead, for your comments after the DANCE PERFORMANCE  we are attending at the Joyce Theater on Wed. 24th October(meeting time 7:00 pm).

Meanwhile, please make sure to stop by at the Honors Lounge on Tuesday to pick up reading packages one and TWO, which you must read in preparation for our class. Package one will enable you to review the articles that were hard to read because blurry. Package two offers new materials in preparation for Wednesday’s class.

   I look forward to seeing you soon, i.e. on Wednesday in ROOM 506 N.

                       EE

All: You need to bring your laptops to the technology fair on Tuesday. I know that wasn’t clear before, so I wanted to make it clear now, so you don’t show up and find yourself unable to participate in your chosen workshops.

Rachel