Fall for Dance

I especially enjoyed the Hawaiian dance. It was interesting to witness other culture’s dancing that comes straight from tradition and storytelling as opposed to artistic choreography. All the performances had individual qualities that drew my attention, and the show would have definitely been worth 10 dollars if they Honors College didn’t treat us.

I thought the dance performances were spectacular to watch. The music, especially in the first and third performances, truly engaged me into the show. I have never heard string instruments sound so distinctly aggressive and rough in the first performance, and I thought the gracefulness of the dancing stood out against this music. However, in the comedic third performance, I felt that the performance of the two men was a true reflection of the jazzy/blues music playing; listening to the music, I could not have imagined the dance in any other way. While all the performances varied from one another, I felt the show provided an experience for all types of audience members to appreciate.

Fall for Dance was enjoyable chiefly because of its variety. The first two performances were the most entertaining, but the other three were great as well. The fourth dance in particular was striking because of its difficulty. The skillful way in which the dancer maneuvered herself over the table was incredible, and just as much of an art form as Louise Bourgeois’ sculptures of J.M.W. Turner’s paintings. The performer’s actions, along with the grating soundtrack, really drew the viewer in and accurately conveyed the girl’s emotions. The Tchaikovsky piece was beautiful as well (although admittedly the male dancer’s costume was a bit amusing). The length of the entire show was suitable too, as it was long enough to provide the audience with a decent glimpse of several different styles of dance, but not so long as to be tiring. Fall for Dance was definitely a worthwhile compilation to see.

I agree, the Fall for dance was an entertaining hodge podge of different dance styles from over three continents. What I enjoyed most was watching the significant changes in style from piece to piece. The proper, upright and in some opinions overdramatic demeanor of the pas de deux dancers emphasized the laid-back and playful nature of the the New 45 combination. The style, music, motive and attitude of the dacners were just so distinct. The ballet dancers were interested in painting a beautiful picture, while the swing dancers aimed to create characters and make you laugh. It’s fascinating to me that dance (just like visual art) has evolved in such ways. A painting by Pollock breaks the rules that JW Turner studied in his art classes. Just like the way the swing dancers threw themselves out of turns, contracted and flexed their feet broke the traditional technique of ballet. But without studying and appreciating the precursors to modern expressions of art can we fully understand the evolution it took to get there? I don’t think so. That’s why I think it’s great to see traditional ballet next to modern and interpretive dance expressions.

The individual dances in “Fall for Dance” were all so different but obviously thought out and unique. In the first dance at first I tried to make the dance make sense in a way that the dancers were split into two groups but black and white didn’t really fit because the dance movements and groupings seemed to not make it black against white. Then I tried seeing if it was men against the women which didn’t work either because both men and women were dressed in black and white and they were all using movements that weren’t specific to a gender. Then I realized that it wasn’t so much about “teams” but the relationship between the individual and the group. This was particularly evident when the one man dressed in white was doing his own dance while the rest of the group looked on, and how another woman left the group and wasn’t allowed back in until the group saw another “threat” (perhaps) of the man dressed in black ribbon dancing. The group stuck together but the individual was also unique.