After watching the dance Haze in Brooklyn Academy of Music(BAM), I realized that modern dance was not only for entertaining, but also for conveying thoughts.

Haze is performed by Beijing Dance Theater and choreographed by Yuanyuan Wang. Wang is well-known for her combination of classic ballet and modern dance. Haze is “accompanied by musical selections from Henryk Górecki (including the haunting, elegiac Third Symphony) and Biosphere’s ambient electronic soundscapes”(BAM).

The word haze means a slight obscuration of the lower atmosphere, typically caused by fine suspended particles. Haze, here, is a metaphor for people’s confusion on modern economic and environmental crises. Choreography of the dance shows how people struggle and seek for reality among obscurity, and eventually find the way to the certainty. The dancers dance on a special elastic stage which seems like a huge sponge. This gives a unique effect on the whole dance and brings the audience a new feel.

This dance is very different from the “Water Stains on the Wall” I watched before, which has elements of Tai-chi. The motions in Haze looks more elegant, similar to the motions in ballet. The dancers extend their body fully, which looks very beautiful. I most like the part when they fall down one by one. They fall in a very fancy way. I also like the part when they are walking cautiously. It seems like they are seeking for new ways and trying new field, which probably stands for their struggle in the uncertain situation which I mentioned previously. At the ending part, all dancers are standing silently while watching the snow-like particles falling down. Are they waiting or meditating? I don’t exactly know. You can get further information about Haze and Beijing Dance theater here.