Aether is communication through movement, trying to send a message and is difficult to define. In the beginning of the piece the dancers use alot of typing hand and finger movement which becomes their motif, creating lots of movement and steps with the motif. They don’t dance in unison in this piece but dance through special relationships and the occasional partner work. Movements were very robotic and sharp flick dynamic in this dance, but some aspects were flowy showing contrast between movements which fit in with the white noise of the music. Towards the end of the dance they hold hands and create different movement that is more human like.
There were many performances that I enjoyed and they ranged from different types of dancing to the expressions they portrayed. In this paper I will give critiques over a total of six dances. “Beyond Shadow” The first dance of the night was choreographed by Nashwa Cahill and was titled “Beyond Shadow”. The music was Pharonic Odyessey by Paul Dinletit. In this dance there were a total of 12 dancers.
“Didn’t my Lord Deliver Daniel” included one man and two women, wearing the same nude color, women in dress and men in a leotard. This piece told a story. The choreography was active and detailed upon the lyrics. When the lyric of music has a main singer behind the chorus you can see how one of the performers will accent that one solo singer while the other two performers show the chorus. The energy in this song is loud and jumpy, and that’s exactly what the dancers show, the flow of energy through every move.
Another movement I noticed was the performers tip-toeing very quickly. I felt this movement represented the performer trying to remain hidden on stage. I also noticed a particular movement in which the performer smoothly gyrated his hips back and forth. I felt that this was some kind of victory dance. The next movement I noticed was two dancers doing a kind of “stomping” on the stage.
They wore unitards so every inch of a dancer’s line is celebrated. Although some had random jewels on it that I thought did not fit the piece, the unitards definitely enhanced the ideas and themes of the dance. She also had dresses for girls and pants and shirts for guys in some pieces. In Nancy’s solo J, she was wearing a costume that had pants with very high slits, which showed off the lines of her legs. I find it interesting how O’Donnell used the unitards to detach a dancer of his or her gender to make all the dancers interchangeable.
The visual the dance created was very beautiful with the projection of the rye field on the background and the balloons floating in the breeze just as the field would move. From the audience, I felt like I was watching them all dance in the rye field. To me, it started out like they were survivors of something serious and everyone was helping hold each other stand strong. As the dance progressed the battle for survival became serious for the dancers. I felt that by the end of the dance there was one leader and the remaining people were all trying to escape the situation.
It added emphasis to the music; it was used as reinforcement. There were parts where the female dancers would take the stage. They did very pretty formations. The music stopped for couple of 8 counts and during this time the dancers were still dancing, but all you would be able to hear was the sounds of the rattles on their legs. It made the music to which they were dancing, the music sounded so peaceful but at the same time it really went with the music that had been playing.
On December 11, 2010 there was musical revue called ‘What Dreams May Come’ performed at Santa Susana High School. There were to major dance numbers, one being a ballet named Oklahoma Ballet from Oklahoma and the other an African/jazz called Circle of Life from the Lion King. In this Critique paper I will be comparing the two dances for lighting, costuming, technique and the overall performance. The lighting for both pieces quite simple. For Oklahoma Ballet stayed fully light for the entire dance.
Two texts that show belonging are Strictly Ballroom by Baz Luhrmann and Isolated by Ben Borken. In strictly ballroom to belong in the world of ballroom dancing a person must compromise their own self-expression. Luhrmann shows belonging through the use of techniques, lighting, music, costumes and camera angles. In the opening scene the film begins with the music ‘The Blue Danube Waltz’, the camera pans from the dancers’ feet to full body shots but in slow motion. The friendship between the dancers backstage immediately establishes that these people belong together through their love for dance.
Strictly Ballroom Notes World of Ballroom Dancing Ballroom dancing is glamour but it's contrasted with Shirley Hastings (with over the top make up) screaming and the evil villain Barry Fife (who is lit from the bottom to create shadows and horn like eyebrows) - Dance Federation Scott Hastings Scott Hastings; Australian - which is shown by his Aussie accent and singlet when he dances in front of the mirror. Also a quote "Oh get off it will ya" Passionate - the close ups on his face as he dances Fran Fran; More natural in the movie. Comes from a Spanish community. She lives in a stereotypical migrant house and the setting of where she lives (which is near train tracks) shows she is living on the other side of the tracks. Again shows her world is contrasted with the artificial world of ballroom dancing.