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Alessandro Sciarroni Review

When the dancers first began stomping, clapping, and slapping their thighs in a circle with their eyes taped over, their movements seemed random, almost clownish. However, the repetition of these movements soon began to take on a rhythm for me, where every performer remained unified and in-sync with each other. It was interesting to see this unity change throughout the performance, as they gradually began dancing while facing away from each other, and finally dancing in different directions. It was almost an organized chaos, with the dancers hopping in different directions yet performing the same exact patterns of stamping, clapping, and slapping.

The occasional additions of humor really picked up the performance since it broke away from the two hours worth of constant repetition of the traditional Bavarian dance. It was so easy to get lost and distracted in the repetitions until there was a change. For example, early in the show, the dancer in the suspenders (the one who left the earliest) had a solo, where at one point he lifted his legs straight up in the air just to have one of the other dancers knock him down, which was a startling move in comparison to the rest of the dance. There was also humor in spotting one dancer straying away or becoming isolated from the group; this was kind of an acknowledgement to the both physical and emotional exhaustion that came along with the strenuous dance.

The last part of the dance really was the highlight of the performance for me. The background music was much more attention-grabbing (like the one with the British singer), and it was interesting to see how the dancers adjusted the rhythm of their movements to fit the songs. Once “Say Something” came on, and the dancers ran off the stage while the singers sang “I’m giving up on you,” it really brought the audience back to the beginning of the performance, when one of the dancers had explained that anyone, audience members and dancers alike, was free to leave at anytime of the performance. Seeing the dancers run off the stage in exhaustion after two hours of thigh-slapping, foot-stomping, and hopping (which was an amazing feat) really emphasized how aware the performers were of this mystical, invigorating, and exhausting dance.

2 Comments

  1. Ariella Caminero

    After reading Nureen’s critique on Alessandro Sciarroni’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” I find that I also agree with what she said when she mentioned that at first the moves of the dancers seemed a bit odd, random, and almost comical, however as the performance progressed you could see that the dance was “almost an organized chaos”, as Nureen puts it. I felt that the dancers were really in sync in terms of their movement but from time to time they would move in and face different directions which is what contributes to this chaos. I also agree with Nureen in that there were humorous bits that although subtle really engaged me into the performance. Constant repetitions of the same few steps made it really easy to get bored of the dance quickly, but it was those few comical moments that would bring me back in. These moments, along with the slight smiles and laughs exchanged on stage, made the performance more intimate and light-hearted. I enjoyed this because you could see the personal side of the dancers and it reminded me that they were just normal people like me. The last few moments of the dance were the ones I most especially enjoyed because they began playing the song “Say Something” which took me by surprise at first but made me laugh at how fitting the song was to the way the dancers were feeling by the end of the show.

    Furthermore, before going into see the show I had actually looked up some information on the performance and was excited to see the dance. What I didn’t expect was to be so impressed by the dancers’ ability to perform for so long. In every dance performance it is obvious that the dancers must have a certain amount of stamina and skill in order to perform, however in this show more than any one I’ve ever seen the practice it took to master the skill of performing this dance was very evident. After some time, the exhaustion was apparent on the dancers faces as they glistened with perspiration and their hands shone a bright red. The performance was essentially two hours of the continuous traditional Bravarian dance of stepping, thigh-slapping and hopping and although there were some ephemeral deviations, I commend the dancers for their hard work and excellence. I thought it was interesting how the dance progressed from being performed in pure silence to with audio of obscure sounds playing in the background to finally full on songs with lyrics in them. But despite the audio or lack thereof audio in the background the dancers found a way to sync to the audio and continue their routine as if the changes were unnoticeable.

    Overall I really enjoyed this performance. I like how even though the steps were continuous and repetitive throughout the duration of the show they managed to add twists every now and then. I also am personally a fan of the stepping dance style so to see this style in a more traditional sense was very interesting. I would definitely like to go see something similar sometime in the future, maybe even by Alessandro Sciarroni again.

  2. myanez13

    A show that started in darkness, with a group of people in a circle and eyes taped shut, ended in a bright spotlight with those same people standing in a line, wide eyed and grinning- this was Alessandro Sciarroni’s “Will you still love me tomorrow?” Though I found that those two motifs created an interesting book-ending for the performance, I found the performance itself less than entertaining.

    The rhythmic movements and choreography of this performance were certainly the defining characteristic of this performance; the fact that the dancers were able to stay in synchronization for the duration of the performance was certainly an impressive feat. However, after about the first 15 minutes of the performance, I could not help but focus on how repetitive it became (though what can one really expect? It was essentially slapping thighs and feet for two hours; not much variation could really be expected.) I use the word focus lightly, as the repetitive choreography soon began to act as a visual sort of white noise while the sounds of the slapping acted as real white noise. There were slight changes in how the dancers arranged themselves, in pairs or alone or marching across the stage, but that did changed the monotonous nature of the performance little beyond a superficial level.

    Upon reflection, it seems as though this dance was less about a tribute to the Bavarian dance (nice lederhosen, Alessandro.) and more about a test of endurance- both mentally and physically- to the performers and the audience alike. One of the performers stated at the beginning that the performance would last until only one dancer remained or one audience member remained. Though we all know that it would have been rude to leave in the middle of a performance, it was almost as if the option was being presented to us by saying that. The audience had to endure the repetition of the dance before them for the duration until the dancers could not do the same. The dancers had to endure the physical strain of the slapping and stomping, as well as enduring the performance as other dancers began to drop out. Perhaps if it were presented as such, as this test of endurance, perhaps the dance could be looked at through that lens and I could have found a different appreciation for it.

    However I may have felt about the other hour and 45 minutes of the performance, I do agree with Nureen’s thoughts about the final part of the dance. It truly was the highlight of the performance in my eyes as well as hers, though I suppose it was for different reasons. According to Nureen, it was a highlight for her because it grabbed attention more thoroughly than the earlier parts of the performance, and the way that the dancers ran off the stage at the end “really emphasized how aware the performers were of this mystical, invigorating, and exhausting dance.” For me, it was the highlight because it was something which finally broke up the monotony of the rest of the performance.

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