As I watched them together, at first I perceived a typical tangle dance. It did not look like anything particularly special. Kudo and Baryshnikov have a unique way of moving together, however, and it appears as though they are moving over ice. One holds they other up, their legs spread apart, they slide together gracefully despite the complexity of the movements, all in an effort to show the beauty of the dance. While this was impressive, I was most unimpressed with how the male was chewing gum throughout the performance. It showed a lack of professionalism. He did not look as though he was taking it seriously. I can understand if he wanted to appear relaxed, but there are other ways to do this without looking as though you do not care about your craft. Also, despite the fact that the movements were complex and the dance looked as though it was being performed on ice, I did not care for it. It was not gentle enough for my taste. I prefer dances where there is an equal amount of power distribution, or where the male shows a caring sense of power of the female dance. During this dance, the male seemed to throw the female performer around like a ragdoll and it was difficult to watch at times. The only redeeming quality was the skating.
"Brooms" from STOMP
It was difficult not to be immediately enraptured by “Brooms” during STOMP. So many things began happening both auditorily and visually; the sense are attacked on every level. For once, however, this is a wonderful thing. The performance is amazing from start to finish. At first it begins almost as if the dance is going to tell a story. The sounds are so soft and subtle, it took me a few moments to realize they came from the performers’ brooms. After a few sweeps and pounds, it was evident, however. A few minutes in I heard a tapping and realized the performers were also wearing tap shoes to accompany the sweeping and stopping. I found this to be a delightful addition to the performance. It added another layer to the beats. Whatever time and effort the performers had put into the show was evident, as every movement and sound was perfectly synced in time with the beat. Eventually I realized it was not a dance that told a story at all, as nobody had said a word. It became quite hilarious in my own mind as I tried to come up with any explaination that would account for all of these people showing up in one spot with pushbrooms and tapshoes, breaking out randomly into a synchronized performance. It reminded me of a modern day scene from Mary Poppins only instead of chimney sweeps, there were tap-dancing street sweepers. I found the entire performance to be so inspiring I almost wanted to find my own broom and pair of tap shoes so that I may join in on the fun, or start my own troop of tap-dancing push broom performers. It made me recall the many times in my life when I had been doing something tedious and boring, and it did not have to be that way. While I likely did not have the skills to make it something as amazing and entertaining as “Push,” I could have found something amusing or entertaining in the mundane parts of life that bored me to tears. That, most likely, is what the show was supposed to be about, or to remind us. Based on this idea alone the performace was superb.
"Molly's Not Dead" by PILOBOLUS
As I watched this dance I found it to be intoxicating for several reasons. It was a mixture of sensual and exotic. But it was also funny in its own way. This made the entire performance strange, overall. I can understand why audiences would clamor for more of it; there was something about it that I cannot put my finger on, but it was almost addictive. For example, in the beginning of the performance, it appeared as though the dancers may not be dressed appropriately for the dance, primarily because they looked naked in their nude constumes. This is not an understatement; the costume department deserves an award becaue I actually looked away at first, suspecting a wardrobe malfunction for a moment. The dancers looked entirely nude before I saw some faint sequins glittering under the lights. It was alluring in its own way, thus beginning the sensuality of the evening. It was exotic, as well; performers today spend so much time on their costumes, making sure they are as flashy as possible. Sometimes it looks more like a wild animal takes the stage. I am left wondering when I am going to see people dance, instead of a peacock. After getting over the initial shock of thinking they were naked, it was nice to realize I was going to see humans dance, instead of humans pretending to be a different animal. I have also grown used to modern dance, making this dance different to me in its own way. It seems almost lazy, though this could be because the performers relied more on emotion than athletics. I have not seen this often, and it was foreign to my eyes. At first it looked as though they lacked creativity, but if I focused on their faces, limbs, and how they were subtly using their bodies, it was easier to see why the dance was the way it was. There were instances wherein the dance did appear random and contrived, despite the emotions, which made it difficult to like. Other parts were still funny, which was part of why I could not fully write it off as a piece I did not enjoy. The performers were obviously trying, as I noticed them strenuously attempting difficult moves throughout the performance. There were segments that were enjoyable, despite the fact that some of it seemed to be thrown together right before the curtain came up. While it was not my most favorite performance, it was not the worst I have ever seen. It may have been, perhaps, the most confusing.
