If I were to describe RoseAnne Spradlin’s beginning of something in one word it would be powerful. Despite everyone’s preconceived notions of what the performance would be like, we all knew it would be intense. After the performance ended, it did not matter whether you liked the performance; you were still able to feel something from it.
From the beginning of the performance, I was able to feel the intensity that would remain throughout the evening. The room was small and intimate creating a personal feeling. The mirrors surrounding the room made the performance interesting because the dancers and the audience could look into them at certain points to see themselves and others around them. From the instrumental segment at the beginning, I was able to recognize the song “Don’t Make Me Over.” To me this song paired with the first dancer’s strong walking across the stage in her headdress evoked a feeling of being proud of yourself and happy with who you are. This seemed to be the main message throughout the performance. In today’s world, people, women especially, are dealing with body image insecurities; however, this dance performance spoke out against these feelings in more ways than one.
The women in this performance did not have stereotypically perfect bodies; they were all different shapes and sizes. They moved together at some points and as individuals at others. This is similar to life in the way that people may feel included sometimes and on the outside at other times. I especially thought that the facial expressions of the dancers contributed greatly to the intensity of the performance. By looking at the dancers’ faces, you were able to feel their pain, stress, or happiness. The pained faces were often accompanied by convulsing bodies, distressing movements around the stage, and moments of dressing and undressing, which evoked a feeling of intensity in the audience. During the performance, the women would stomp and even scream in order to heighten the feelings in the room. At multiple times the dancers would walk across the stage in unison with such power almost like models on a catwalk. This aspect also shows the importance of being happy with your body and your individuality.
One of my favorite moments of Spradlin’s dance was when the band sang “Don’t Make Me Over” and the dancers took off whatever little clothing they had remaining. Although the nudity may have made the audience a bit uncomfortable, the dancers seemed happiest at this point in the performance. As the song played, the dancers moved about the stage with smiles as opposed to their usual disturbed expressions. In this part of the performance, Spradlin greatly displayed the importance of loving your body and yourself. Ultimately, Spradlin was successful in getting her message across and in moving the audience in some powerful way.
