Dance Brazil

Dance 240R Section 002
Contemporary Dance Tec & Thry 1
McAllister, Andrea
Joy Marie Prior
March 3, 2010
2 Performance Critique
This past weekend I watched Dance Brazil perform at Kingsbury Hall on 26th of February 2010. It was a completely different style of dance than what I was expecting. During slavery in Brazil the masters forbid the African slaves from owning weapons. To protect themselves the slaves learned how to fight with their bodies, but they covered up that they were training for physical fighting by doing the steps to music and songs. Today it is an art form practiced all around the world. Each of the dances were approximately forty five minutes long. Throughout one number though there were distinct different sections with separate music, costumes, and movements. Three particular sections that stuck out to me in the second act were what I have called Going out into the field, Merriment, and Bondage.
Most of the songs are about slavery, and so the Going out in the field one was what started the dance. When the dancers walked out they went from stage left to stage right, at the end of the entire number (forty-five minutes later) the dancers entered from stage right and exited to stage left. I thought that this was rather brilliant chorography because it gives the impression that all of the different emotions expressed throughout the piece were apart of a typical day. The lighting was very important in these number because as each of the dancers enters they are bathed in a blood red lighting. This gives the illusion that the dancers are separate from the world and each other. Many of the movements were bond and strong. It was incredible to physically see their head tale connection as they did hand stands and back flips. What I really noticed was that when the dancer dropped their hand and let it hang loss their entire arm went limp, but when they dancer wanted to placed their arms out strong it looked like it would have been impossible to move their hand even the slightest. I believe that the movements emphasized the suppression that comes from being a slave, and yet they were so graceful and controlled that the movements embodied the truth that we are all human, beautiful, and created in the image of the one and true God.
The Merriment number was one of the most lighthearted sections in the dance, and I think that is what I especially liked about this piece. This was the only section were the dancers wore color, and the girls had on short skirts instead of pants or shorts. I imagined the song was celebrating something in the slave villages away form their masters. Most of the movements were interactive with lots of couples switching partners and many intertwined steps. This dance was flat out fun to watch, and it left me feeling jovial and excited. I believe that as the dancers smiled at the audience, twirled, and flipped over one another they wanted to express the idea that slavery was not just about working in the fields, but it was about people. A people who like to party, celebrate, sing, and dance. I really did get that message.
Bondage was by far my favorite section. It was all male dancers and they started in the middle of the dance floor. They were in a spot light that altered red and black lines giving the impression that they were in a prison. All the dancers had on were nude colored short spandex, and yet although they looked exposed it was not a vulgar dance. I wish there was a word in between vulnerable and determined because that is the only word that would describe this dance. Every movement was bound and strong. There was lots of carving movements, and many level variations. The dancers were entirely aware of the space around them and they explored it, and controlled it. This caused them to appear in control, but all of their movements were in the center of the dance floor. The light helped emphasize the illusion that all of the dancers were trapped. Although they had dominion in the space that they were given they were very aware of their boundaries. I believe that the piece wanted to emphasize how determined the slaves were to escape and obtain freedom, but to also show how restricted they were physically, mentally, and spiritually.
I enjoyed this performance immensely, and would recommend Dance Brazil to anyone and everyone even if they are not familiar with contemporary dance or any form of dance for that matter they would have enjoyed this performance.