Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Cesena starts off with a screaming man belting out tribal-sounding chants, then later running in a circle while the audience watches in near complete darkness, barely being able to see the action on the stage. After doing a little research to more familiarize myself with De Keersmaeker’s work, I learned that this darkness (which later turns into light) is intended to signify the time just as the dawn is about to break. From behind, the rest of the dancers enter stage, singing with arms over shoulders. The skin of the dancers sketches incomplete drawings for us, and it is this and only this that gives us some idea of what action is occurring on stage.
The dancers and singers that were a part of Cesena made great use of the stage. Much of the performance revolved around or in the circle, be it dancing in synchronicity around the circle made of sand, running around the circle, or gathering as a group inside of the circle swaying back and forth, arms over shoulders, and so on, but once the sand was moved around, the dance broke from the circle and turned into a full use of the stage. I found it beautiful each time a dancer glided over the circle, leaving the sand displaced and tearing the shape apart.
The circle is where almost all of the interactions took place, as opposed to outside where the dancers were almost always unaccompanied. I noticed that the movements outside of the circle were more disjointed than those inside of the circle, which were graceful and gentle. I can’t say for sure what the intent was behind the piece, but the way I read into the circle and the motions we saw on stage, I saw a metaphor for inclusion vs. exclusion: when you’re in the circle (like in a social setting), you’re surrounded by others; when you’re out of the loop, you are alone. It is only within this circle, or group, that you are a member of something larger than yourself. I’m sure I’m way off key here, but that’s how I interpreted it.
I think the piece could be broken up into three elements: dance, light, and sound. Both the lighting and the singing were integral components of the dance. Before the lights came on, we were eagerly waiting in the audience to see what was going on on the stage. I could see traces of people, but my main focus was directed towards the choral component. The audio was beautiful throughout the piece, but especially during the dark periods on stage, it added emotion and kept my attention. The minimalistic use of lighting added excitement for me because I couldn’t see everything that was happening, but I could hear footsteps and vocals and glides, and all types of movements. The idea to use lighting the way it was was terrific.
I found Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Cesena to be very lively and enjoyable. Although I am a novice when it comes to analyzing dance and wasn’t able to fully grasp what De Keersmaecker was trying to achieve, I truly respected and appreciated all of the elements and thoughts she put into her piece and left the theater feeling satisfied.
Kyle (Blog B)
I chose to respond to Kyle’s review of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Cesena because he touches on the three elements of the performance that I believe were most significant to the piece: dance, light, and sound. These three elements worked in harmony to create an unforgettable and powerful performance that embodied the abstract concept of time and life.
Cesena started in eerie darkness when a man ran onto the stage in pitch darkness and started yelling nonsensical syllables that echoed throughout the theater. He proceeded to run around a large circle on the stage, drawn with powder, before disappearing. The two hours of dancing that proceeded after this powerful introduction consisted of the dancers, who are also all vocally talented, making full use of the stage in their performance.
The centerpiece of the dance was the circle on the stage. I likened this circle to a sort of boundary. As the performance progressed, I noticed that the dancers were destroying the circle until at the end of the performance, the circle had no solid boundaries and all that was remaining was scattered powder that resembled what used to be a perfectly round and solid circle. As I was watching the dance, I was reminded of the idea of breaking through social barriers or prejudices, which is what the circle represents. Once a solid, well defined circle, over time, this barrier was erased and all that was left were its remnants. This showed how people could overcome the same obstacles of social barrier and prejudices over time.
The second crucial element to this piece was the lighting. Originally meant to be performed at the break of dawn, Cesena started shrouded in darkness while gradually, over time; the stage became brighter and more revealing as the sun would rise over the horizon. At first, I was just as frustrated as the rude audience member who demanded the lights be brightened, because I could not see any of the movements on stage, except only hear the shuffles of the feet and the chanting. However I realize that the initial darkness and the gradual transition to light only added to the experience and meaning behind the piece. Going back to my idea of breaking social barriers and prejudice, I noticed that as time progressed, the circle was slowly dismantled, and the stage slowly became brighter until at the end of the performance, the circle ceased to exist and the stage was completely bright; for me, this symbolized the progression of peace and maturity as the barrier was destroyed.
The third essential element of the piece was sound. When the stage was pitch dark, I had to rely on my sense of hearing to determine what was occurring. For me, this added a sense of eerie and mystery to the performance, especially with the quick shuffling of feet and the chanting. As for the chorus, I believe it contributed a sense of solemnness and seriousness to the dance along with an air of mystery and fascination. I was very impressed with the vocal skills of the dancers who managed to sing in the middle of an exhausting, two-hour performance.
Keersmaeker’s Cesena was the first “true” experimental dance piece I have seen (not counting Rambert’s A (micro) history of world economics, danced) and I found it to be intriguing and thought provoking. Although a novice in the world of dance and choreography, reflecting back on our watching of Jasperse’s dance rehearsal, I can only imagine at the amount of work, thought, and time that was devoted to creating this fantastic, enjoyable piece.
Michael Shin (Blog A)