I had the opportunity to both perform in and attend a dance performance entitled Journey on March 5, 2009. As I am a member of the Trojan Marching Band, I knew about the gig from a fellow mellophone section member Stephanie Graves who also is the co-director of the Chamber Ballet Company. I can say that I was pleasantly surprised at the intertwining of current pop songs and the more classical style of ballet dance and the harmony created as a result.
The duet number choreographed and performed by Jonathan Sharp and Catherine Ricafort first impressed me. A jazzy number musically aided by the Frank Sinatra duets, the dancers seemed to move with such attitude and pizzazz. At any particular moment the chemistry between the man and woman dancer was clearly annunciated by their body language and a fire in their stares. Each dancer took on a clear cut character and communicated only nonverbally through their movements. I was captivated.
Another duet number entitled “Life—Rediscovered” featuring choreography and dance by Stephanie Graves and Jonathan Langley took One Republic’s popular song “Say” and turned it into an entirely different piece. Two battling couples fought with each other at the beginning, and at once a girl and a guy from each were left alone. These two were Stephanie and Jonathan, and in their duet they clearly conveyed what it’s like to be renewed in a new relationship. They supported each other’s weight and their movements seemed to cry out for attention. Blue lighting and smoky air only enhanced the mood. This was probably my favorite number.
My only criticism would be the Company’s group performance to the Avenged Sevenfold number “Almost Easy”. Although also choreographed by Stephanie Graves, the live performance from the USC Trojan Marching Band didn’t seem to quite fit the dancer’s movements. While they twirled and moved gracefully, we rocked out to the overly brassy rock chart. It seemed an abrasive song to the dancers, as they seemed to wince at the loudness emitted from the several horns. They moved accurately to the tempo, but it seemed like two disconnected attitudes.
That being said, I would definitely recommend this show to anyone that thinks ballet is a dead dance form. It has grown to incorporate all styles of music, take on a vast amount of themes and attitudes, and continue to move the audience. Go and see the next USC Chamber Ballet Company performance. You won’t be disappointed.
I wanted to see this show and was really disappointed that I missed it. Stephanie Graves is a friend of mine and I know that she loves dancing. I think that, based on your review, her love clearly showed. I had no idea that she also choreographed, although I should not be surprised. She choreographed some of the songs for Songfest. Last year, the performance was amazing earning Alpha Chi Omega and Alpha Gamma Omega their fourth win in a row. I love when classical music is combined with modern music to create something beautiful. Dancing is such a beautiful expression of emotions. Body language is often underestimated. I think we could actually learn from this, considering that in screenwriting body language is also, often underestimated.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had been able to see this performance! Whenever I watch dance shows I always end up kicking myself for quitting sophomore year of high school – I miss it! I completely understand what you mean though about the nonverbal communication that occurs in dancers, especially in duets but even during solos. This is going to sound like a cheesy example, but I’m a huge fan of the show So You Think You Can Dance, and the dancers on there who are always my favorites are the ones who emote through their eyes and communicate to the audience without speech. I’ve been disappointed with some of the past contestants, actually, who I felt were very talented dancers but could not express emotion through movement. For me, training and elegance are equally as important as being able to reach your audience without saying anything. I find it quite boring to watch people dance when their eyes aren’t lighting up because they have a passion for what they’re doing and when you can tell they aren’t connecting with the piece on an emotional and, cheesy again, a spiritual level. It’s a pity though that the company number was ineffective. It always disappoints me when such great ideas about innovations in dance fall flat – I’ve seen it happen many times and it saddens me a great deal. Something can start out sounding ingenious conceptually but when you choreograph it and add the music it just doesn’t seem as ingenious anymore. I guess that holds true with any of our art forms – the director for my show has changed many of his initial directions after seeing them read poorly onstage. Painters tend to try out certain colors and designs before finding the one that works best. Ah, art.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'd never considered combining a marching band with ballet. As much as I adore the TMB, I don't quite understand how Stephanie intended it to fit with a ballet performance. As you said, it's too brassy. My impression of ballet was that it required softer, perhaps more graceful, music, as befitted ballet back in the old days, but what do I know?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is a particular style of ballet or a whole separate movement, incorporating pop songs and other nontraditional music choices. Would you say the dancers moved differently in this performance than in other ballet productions that you might have seen? Did the music choice affect the mood or response to the performance? I suppose that any art form, if it is to survive, must continue to refresh and update itself, though sometimes I wonder whether some paths are simply not meant to be taken. Then again, who knows? This may be the start of an entirely new type of dance. Drafting... Drafting...