http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/arts/dance/roberto-bolle-performs-with-friends-at-city-center.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=dance&adxnnlx=1379978206-oWF2We2AWVF2AKJvym+aCA
Brian Seibert, as a respectable critic, sought to carefully analyze and dissect the unique performance of Roberto Bolle and Friends. This “unremarkable” performance, as Seibert labeled it, was not just deemed as unpleasant, but rather monotonous. The critic, as an attentive dance observer, looked to expose the performance as an unusual act which displayed little to none praise-worthy characteristics of the dancers themselves. Led by the act of a famous and heroic Italian dancer, the show did not portray the Italian technique which one so often expects in an Italian-minded dance. As a knowledgeable source of observation, Seibert looked to embody that peculiar happening into an analysis of extraordinary characteristics of the performance. Although, highlighted as a monotonous performance, Brian Seibert located the merits of the actwithin the dancers themselves. His critique turned from a questionable performance with no clear identity into a clever use of dancers which emphasized the unnatural and unusual essence of the choreography.
As a critique, one looks to pose merits and dismerits upon an artistic concept. Constructive criticism can often be looked as a different view on the message of the artist or artists themselves. Whether the performance involves monotonous or unusual patterns, the goal of the critic, as many authors may support, is to analyze the piece assigned and turn it into a purposeful observation rigged with interesting anomalies as well as obvious facts. In this review, Seibert decided to focus on the characteristics of the dancers to emphasize the abnormality of the performance despite its monotony. He acknowledged the idea that some others may appreciate the performance and therefore focused on an aspects of the dance which he could appreciate: the dashing characters. As a critic of art, it is easy to discover a point of view, which may differ from the artist’s, that can turn an unpleasant performance into an interesting story. The key is to analyze all aspects of a performance, whether visual or physical, and divulge the small unnoticeable details into expansive interpretations of art.
As Seibert, himself had done, a dance critique may not always be a pleasant chore to describe. He instead turned his initially monotonous performance into an attention-grabbing portrait of the act’s cast. Because that, after all, is still part of art.
-Keith Merlin Anne (BLOG B)
