Spring Concert: Dance and Desert Review (Essay Sample)

Spring Concert: Dance and Desert Review
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The Spring Concert: Dance and Dersert at the Steve Eller Dance Theatre took place on the 17th of March 2017 through 18th. The performance featured several works by different choreographers from around the United States. It featured the best choreographers such as Rebecca Froster, Aron Wood, Hopefrey among other renowned choreographers. The intermissions were marked by popular hits from decades. The attention to blue and red color schemes, and the fascinating arrangement of equipment such as poles, various machines, and scaffolding on the stage creating an environment of art and fascination. The performance featured fifteen heart-taking pieces each presenting a variety of performances with energy and expertise. One could not distinguish the ensembles by gender because of the costuming. They had sports tights and shirt costumes with colors ranging from dark, bright and others with white arched slashes. The pieces analyzed in this critique is the opening piece ‘In the Zone,' the second piece ‘Falling Leaves’ and the closing performance of a piece called ‘Wish You Were Here.'
The opening piece, ‘In the Zone,' had a total of six dancers. They danced rhythmically to the beats of a soul music. The ensemble showcased innovative and modern dance techniques, and their coordination was perfect that got the audience dancing by their seats. The ensemble’s moves created a uniform pattern and arrangement on the stage which showed the technical expertise of the company. It was clear they had rehearsed enough for the performance. The other pieces, ‘Falling Leaves’ which happened to be the second piece of the performance was more lively as the ensemble’s dance moves involved hand clapping and dancing that the audience clapped along. Their moves and the gymnastic nature of their dance portrayed proper rehearsal and proficiency (Adshead & Huxley, 2012). The last piece of the performance, ‘Wish You Were Here’ involved four dancers whose dancing proficiency swept the audience by surprise. They danced to a hip hop beat which got some of the audience dancing to the beats. Their coordination proved enough rehearsal and good chorographical support.
The ensemble in ‘In the Zone’ had interesting costumes which consisted of biking shorts and shirts, headbands, wristbands, and sports shoes. It got the audience laughing, but it matched their performance as it represented the athletic nature of performance. In the ‘Falling Leaves,’ the costumes worn by the dancers enhanced their theme through the appropriate use of colors that depicted autumn. They had tiny flowy dresses with colors such as orange, green and hues of red color that matched the falling and gliding of the ensemble on the stage. In ‘Wish You Were Here’ the costume employed was appropriate as it was in blue color. It represented agony as the piece’s theme. It contrasted with the light clearly reflecting the moves of the company. Ng, (2014) asserts that costumes and music highlights the themes of the performance.
The music in ‘In the Zone’ was soul music which was soft with good vocals. The beats and the thrilling moves of the ensemble got the audience dancing. It complimented their work as it matched their slow motion nature of dance. In the ‘Falling Leaves,’ the music involved soothing and soft string instruments that matched the perfect accompaniment of their movements depicting the dance of the autumn’s falling leaves. In ‘Wish You Were Here,' the music used was a RnB song which complimented their dramatic moves. Hagen and Bryant, (2013) says music creates emetions. It filled the audience with agony and sorrow as they were engulfed with the emotion of the song and the dramatized ending of a relationship that the dance movement portrayed.
The lighting in ‘In the Zone’ was helpful as it highlighted the ensemble making their costumes glitter. The spotlight beams and the blinking lights on the stage represented the modernisms that the piece stood for throughout the performance. In the ‘Falling Leaves,' the stage lighting which contrasted with the dark shadows created by the stage equipment brought an effect of the sunrise with the leaves falling like an autumn morning. It also highlighted the company showing the color of their costumes and movements on the stage. In ‘Wish You Were Here,' the lighting was blue. The blue lighting and the costumes highlighted the blues, sadness, and agonies of a relationship. It also showed the conflict of emotion during the difficult moments in a romantic relationship.
The themes of the three pieces were easily perceivable as the costumes, music and the nature of the dance moves highlighted it. The first piece, ‘In the Zone,' featured the theme of the athletic competition. The athletic costumes and their synchronized athletic moves on the stage show the effectiveness of the choreographer’s style in bringing out the theme. At the end of the performance, one of the ensemble runs across the stage emphasizing their theme. The ‘Falling Leaves’ had a theme of Autumn where the choreographer artistically used the falling leaves and the costumes to show the autumn’s appearance. The music and the lighting emphasized the theme. In the ‘Wish You Were Here,' the evident theme was Conflict and agony. The choreographer effectively communicated this theme using the lighting and the music genre to portray the emotions and sadness that engulfs the end of a relationship.
The staging and the choreography of the three pieces were interesting and engaging. The use of appropriate costumes and equipment compliments the works of the choreographers...