The Fall for Dance Festival at City Center is a ten-day annual event that features multiple and different dance companies for the purpose of introducing new audiences to various types of dance. It originated in 2004 and has been a tradition ever since. At this event, dances such as ballet, tap, and tango are presented and each of them has a different story to tell. I had the amazing opportunity to experience these “stories” for myself this past Tuesday. (November 1, 2011) I enjoyed each of the four performances but I enjoyed them for completely different reasons.

The first performance was The Australian Ballet directed by David McAllister. For most of this performance, the concentration was on pairs of ballet dancers. The French term for this type of dance would be pas de deux, meaning step for two. When I told people about my reaction to this performance many of them laughed and thought I was joking. I can tell you however that it was no joke. This performance really did make me feel as though I was intoxicated or perhaps under some kind of trance. The movements, the precision, the meaning, and even the colors felt so unreal. I was speechless and completely captivated. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It made me reminisce about my days of ballet as a child. I find that many people cannot truly appreciate ballet until they understand how difficult it really is to execute each step properly and to express the story in such a way that the audience can feel it and relate to it. From experience, I can really admire these dancers and say that they did a phenomenal job.

The second performance was a more comic one in the sense that the mood was lighter, the music faster, and the dancer more humorous. Steve McRAE made the audience laugh without even saying one word. His mix of tap and ballet was conducted in such a rhythm that people, including myself, interpreted it as being funny. The difference in speeds at which he tapped was quite impressive for two reasons. One reason being that tap done at a rapid speed is difficult in itself to do but his decrease and increase in speeds expressed an attitude and I believe that that is what made the audience really interested. The jazz and humor of this performance was entertaining and provided some variety in the festival that most likely appealed to all.

The third performance was the Pontus Lidberg Dance directed by Pontus Lidberg himself. This performance, as well as the following performance, can be classified as interpretive dance. Truthfully I cannot say much about this performance due to my confusion. I couldn’t quite grasp the concept of this dance. I can only state what I believe was the story. It appeared as though there was an individual that was ashamed of his bodily characteristics and due to this shame could not undress along with the others. Throughout the dance it seems as though the group attempts to convince him to join despite his differences. In the end, he finally undresses and joins the rest of his group. It is likely that this was representative of not being prejudice and of accepting others despite their differences.

The fourth and final performance was an unforgettable experience. The images, the words, the story, and the movements are all embedded into my mind. The Hubbard Street Dance Chicago directed by Glenn Edgerton was nothing short of jaw dropping. This dance contained many dancers as opposed to the other dances where fewer dancers were incorporated. Also, for the majority of this dance the female dancers and male dancers appeared to be competing. It was clear that a story was being told through the movements and the sounds that the dancers displayed but it would take more analyzing in order to really understand what it was symbolic of. The counting towards the end of performance was shocking at first, then it became exciting, and finally, after it being repeated twenty times, it became annoying. Being flashed by the dancers isn’t something I particularly enjoy either. As far as this dance goes, I can say that it has its positive qualities such as the deeper meaning but for the most part I rather disliked it.

I couldn’t have picked a better time to attend this dance festival because it contributed to the ideas I have for my dance video, it provided me with inspiration to keep working on the video, and as most dance performances do, it reminded me of why I love dance. Dance is not just something you do. It’s a feeling, a story, and a lifestyle. This festival portrays just that and does an extraordinary job doing so. I will definitely be attending another one in the future!

I am not a passive observer of art. I cannot go to the Met and simply observe its paintings, sculptures, and antiquities without knowing the pieces’ historical significance or the artists’ thought processes. When we spent last week’s class watching YouTube clips of great American tap dancers, I could not resist a quick Google to answer my urgent question; who exactly invented tap dance and why did it catch on? I expected a quick search; instead I found myself clicking away through countless documents and websites, trying to discover tap dancing’s originators. Finally, I stumbled upon the book “Tap Dancing America: A Cultural History,” by Constance Valis Hill. His answer fascinated me.

Tap-dancing dates back to the 1650s when Oliver Cromwell “shipped an estimated 40,000 Celtic Irish soldiers to Spain, France, Poland, and Italy.” Soon after, thousands of Irish men, women, and children were kidnapped and deported to the expanding English colonies to work the tobacco plantations. The Irish brought with them their famous Irish jig and style of step dancing.

However, American tap dance is infused with African influences as well. When the Africans were transported as slaves to the newborn America around the same time as the Irish, the two cultures blended and exchanged customs and dance styles. Along with their fragmented families and affliction, the Africans brought their native culture to the plantations. Central to African religion was their circle-dance ritual, which were adapted and transformed in America. For example, its hand clapping, rhythmic shuffling of feet, and “patting” the body like a drum identified the African American “juba”. In fact, the Africans communicated on “talking drums.”

In the 1740s, fear of slaves uprising caused the Slave Laws to be passed, banning the use of drums by Africans. Creative substitutes were developed, including percussive footwork. This form of dance continued to progress into the dance form we know and enjoy today, incorporating many new steps, instruments other than the Irish fiddle, and extensive footwork. It is interesting to learn that our American tap dance is not entirely American at all!

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.

If you are interested in Asian dance, you should not miss “Water Stains on the Wall”, which is performed by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, choreographed by Lin Hwai-min. This show will take place in Brooklyn Academy of Music(BAM) from Oct 12-15. BAM is currently celebrating its 150th Anniversary. All dancers wear sheer skirt-like costume. When they jump and spin, the “skirts” are fluttering, which create a great visual effect. In “Water Stains on the Wall”, Lin’s choreography combines chi kung and modern dance, using body movements to embody calligraphic art. This dance blends hard and soft motions, and integrate quick and slow moves. The mix of opposite elements does not produce any conflict, but comes out very naturally. I really like this form of dance which fuses the Eastern and Western dancing techniques and concepts and produces a new unique style. Whenever I see a great piece of dance show, I just have the impulse to become a dancer so that I would not just be an audience, but I would be a member of the show who is presenting this beautiful art. You can find some information about this show here. You can also find other events in BAM in that link.

Over the weekend, I was invited to my best friend Denasia’s open dance rehearsal in Brooklyn. She is currently one of the members of a dance crew named Vanity Force. She, along with six other members, performs in shows and participates in competitions. After watching what was a truly amazing and captivating rehearsal, I was inspired to not only continue following my own dance passions, but also to research the competition that she is participating in next weekend in California. (World of Dance)
“World of Dance Tour is the largest International Urban Dance Competition” that takes places in 14 major cities across the globe. San Diego, Boston, Chicago, and Hawaii are just a few of the locations in which events will be held. Although the title of the tour is World of Dance, don’t let it fool you into thinking that it is only dance performances because you’ll be inaccurate. The tour also presents fashion, music, and celebrity performances and allows over 500 select fashion brands to sell, promote, and showcase their newest designs to over 5,000 attendees per event.
Doing this research, seeing my best friend prepare for the tour, and my own interests in art, dance, and fashion make me crave attending this event. If only I had the opportunity to go!

Link: http://www.worldofdancetour.com/san-diego-10152011/

Mikhail Baryshnikov, a world-renowned dancer, has decided to donate his collection of videos to the New York Public Library. This collection of hundreds of videos date as early as 1960, when Baryshnikov was still a boy, until the present. He seeks to provide an inspiring and informative archive of information for aspiring dancers and artists, alike. Because Baryshnikov worked with some of the most important and influential people in the dance world, many of those moments and events are stored in his amazing assemblage of videos, making it a hot commodity.

I’m amazed that Mikhail Baryshnikov would donate something so important to him. Baryshnikov was one of my idols when I was an aspiring dancer and I would love to see the videos that he attained over the course of half a century and I’m sure many others would feel the same way.

Click Here to see what Baryshnikov said in an interview about what he hoped his donation would do for the general public and what his collection meant for him!