It's Showtime!

As the curtains open it is time for this blog to come to a close. Please read about this wonderful performance!

The beginning of the show started with a dancer staring at the screen of a tv. The screen could not be seen to the audience at all. The dancer looked so relaxed and intrigued by whatever was on that screen. It made me intrigued to be able to see what she was watching. 

All we can see is a prominent bright red back of a box tv. I was certainly ready to see what was coming up after this simple image of the dancer and screen. I knew it was setting it up for something much bigger, and I was so excited to be able to see that unfold! The dancer continued this until she ended up getting up and pressing the tv button. This led to a blackout of the stage. I thought this was a great way to start the show and grab the audience’s attention right from the start. 

The first piece Maybe we’re a blink was choreographed by Grace Lonergan. The costumes were such statement pieces of this ruffled pink material as the dancers came onto the stage doing light acts of movement within their arms, and mostly the rest of their body was neutral. The way lighting was used in this complemented not only the dancer's movement and how it was caught by the light in a silhouette way, but also the texture of the movements and costumes. I loved how the dance switched from being in sync to the dancers being on their own. I thought it gave the piece a lot of variety and depth. I also loved the levels of the dancers changing while watching the movement of their costumes adapt to their positions. The material worked so well with the movement they were doing from beginning to end. I love how it ended as dancers slowly began to line up and only 2 left behind and then transitioned into a slow-moving piece with the two girls who were dancing on the ground. The three girls running looked like they were trying to get somewhere but stopped in the middle of it. One of the girls continued to dance at a normal pace, standing out to the girls in slow motion. Then the slow-motion turned into regular motion all at once and dropped back into their normal speed and movement. I loved how the dancers used all of their bodies. From high kicks to body rolls. 

The second piece, JellyFish Moonwalk by Samantha Withams was next and started with one girl isolated in blue light. You can soon see body movements from behind the blue light as the girl is dancing. She uses her elbows assertively with her arms to push her way out of the blue light, and two other girls appear out of the light. The three girls then start to dance in sync in shiny bright blue head-to-toe costumes. the girls slowly switch from in and out of the light as one girl stays in front. The other two girls are in sync but the girl in front is on her own and moving in her unique ways and using more of her body. The dance then progressed to the girls becoming in sync and the light turning red into more upbeat music. All of the dancers had a strong stance with their arm span across their bodies. The dancers then moved to the floor and worked off of it for their dances. Their legs brushed the floor as they lifted themselves or used their leg strength to swing them around. The dancers then went behind the source of light to the other side using aggressive jolts of energy to throw their arms and upper body down. In the end, one dancer stayed out of the light while two were blocked by it and all you could see were jellyfish-like motions between their hands and fingertips. These motions fizzled out until all we could see is one person in blue light as the curtains closed.

Next, Alighting summits by Ellen Oliver is a piece I was never able to see before! The piece started with someone holding a book walking across the stage in front of closed curtains as someone spoke over the speaker. Then a projection of rocks and a rocky texture appeared as the speaker continued. The dancers were moving through nature in this piece and using their bodies to travel through nature and within themselves. The dancers were all then on the floor in these cocoon formations and then transitioned back into nature. These cocoon-looking costumes continued to move across the screen as a hand poked out of it. It ended with the girls on the rocks and then I looked down and saw the girls were on stage! What an amazing transition! Some were swaying and some were straightening their body and letting it droop from their spine. The video continued. The girls now were using their arms to throw energy at the floor in a jolting motion and the video faded into nothing.

Then, Zugzwang by Lindsay Gibbons started with a dancer holding an umbrella walking across a Smokey stage. The lighting then projected a square gradient to the floor. One of the dancers stood tall as the others fell to the floor with their hands on their faces. This continued as the dancers took turns in the spotlight. One then turned into multiple in sync at a time. The lighting then turned into a circular image on the floor as the dancers used their arms in sync around this circle. The dancers used all different levels and motions. Some jumped and pointed their toes while others let their hips droop and their upper body falls with them. I thought the line where the dancers were in sync with every other spot in the line was so Mesmerizing. Especially since the groups were using different levels that complemented the other ones. We were able to see everyone at once which was beautiful. The piece then gradually turned into one person on their own still moving and throwing their arm up in the air violently and then collapsing into their own body until the lights went down.

Necessary returns by Sarah Lass started with 3 dancers on the stage as something was said over the speaker and transitioned into song. Then 2 dancers were on stage. They stood completely still as silhouettes in the blue light. They then started dancing in sync but different directions. The movements were delicate and slow. I loved how the dancers were in sync but in different ways but even if they started to stray from one another they always ended up back together. It was like whatever they did they always still had a connection even if their body language was telling the audience something else at the time. The dance ended with them in blue lighting as silhouettes which I thought tied the piece together.

Waiting in pieces by Cynthia McLaughlin. This piece started with only the distinct movements of one of the dancer’s back muscles. There was no face and some swaying motions with the dancer’s arms. It then transitioned into the monitor prop I have seen many times before this actual performance. The images on the screen looked beautiful as they changed from colorful to black to white. The dancers were completely in sync with one another. This part I have seen so many times before but this felt so different. All of their hard work and effort have paid off. The colors on the stage brought together all of the emotions and movements beautifully. The solos looked stunning behind the blocks with light and the funky colorful arch background. Especially since their costumes were one color. The way the dancers looked with the relationship of the two dancers on the side was incredible. It looked like they were telling their own story while being a part of the other one. Grace Lonergan and Samantha Withams established this relationship beautifully during rehearsals and it continued to thrive when the curtains opened as well! I loved how it continued as the lights went down. The strobe lights looked like each dancer section was in its own story. It then transitioned into the dancers doing the motions of taking each other’s minds. The shaking movements the dancers were doing with their hands mimicked the strobe lights in the beginning. 

I loved how the dancers came back to the monitors but with less costume coverage. Almost showing they have been stripped away metaphorically and physically from something or the next chapter of the piece. Whatever it was, it portrayed some kind of new beginning. I had always seen this with the same clothes so seeing a costume change changed my perspective on this section of the piece and potential deeper meaning. I like how the blocks of light showed the dancers moving away and to the light representing a clear change in what their decision might entail. The dancers then came into full light where they each did their forms of movement like usual in rehearsal. I loved how there was a clear relationship between the levels the dancers were on. Each of them took on their rows to tell a different story but still able to be all together. The table prop was an astounding piece. I know we talked about it in rehearsal but seeing it there and being used the way we talked about felt so surreal. Along with the tv person in heels! I know we discussed it but I was so impressed with the way everyone did and felt so proud seeing it all come to life. Watching everyone bow felt so amazing that despite all of the obstacles this show went to they all did an astonishing job.