Hasta Dónde All Way Analysis

In Compañía Sharon Fridman’s Hasta Dónde and All Ways, the pieces are based on the technique of contact improvisation, resulting in an intimate drive of human connection. The movement is carefully crafted so the dancers weave in-between and circle one another, get hoisted in the air, and crash down all in a harmonious tableau. Though the precariously teetering pairs or groups of bodies, the dancers move and balance in seemingly impossible manners allowing the audience to feel the connection between the dancers as they support one another and move as a single unit. Having the dancers moving as a single unit is fascinating because not only does the audience get to see the individuality of each dancer, but the individuality of each dancers connection. …show more content…
The crouched figure is musician Luís Miguel Cobo playing an original composition. Through live accompaniment, Cobo creates a harmonious balance of give and take between the movement and the music. The live accompaniment allows for movement to be highlighted as well as gives the dancers room to play with the movement and quality. As the stage fades into brightness, the two male figures effectively connect centerstage and rarely separate. Driving through a nonstop flow of tumbling and lifts, the dancers utilize aggression and tenderness to lift, push, pull and support one another. One might think this strange, violent relationship would display a competitive nature, however Fridman utilizes the two men to support and push each other in expanding the limits of a physical body and the body’s willingness to be pulled to the extreme. This is evident in one repeated phrase where the two men are holding wrists, as one descends to lay on the ground, still connected with his partner, his head lands on his partners foot. His partner walking across the stage, dragging along the man with his foot underneath his neck and pulling his arm aggressively. In addition, this phrase not only portrays the limits of the mens bodies and the willingness to be pulled into extremes, but the use of space. Throughout the piece, the dancers rarely shift away from centerstage, confronting the audience with a powerful sense of preparedness. Coupled with the dancers close proximity to each other, the assertive relationship between the men continues to develop through the space around each dancer and the distance between the dancers. The close mass of bodies evokes positive feelings of unity and strength where the dancers are completely trusting and supporting, giving one another