On April 15th I viewed “Carnival of the Animals”- a collaboration between the Arkansas Philharmonic and the Northwest Arkansas Ballet Theatre. The performance featured several different styles and types of performing arts, including acting, dancing, and a symphony. I also noticed several different things whilst viewing this program that heavily influenced my overall assessment.
When I first walked into the Arend Arts Center, I noticed the stage was split in two. Stage right had several chairs and music stands for the orchestra, while stage left had gray marley taped down to the floor. I was initially concerned because of the lack of space for the dancers. Half the stage? How are they going to perform a ballet on that! Down stage right also had a chest with blankets and stuffed animals piled on, which truly baffled me. Is the orchestra going to be using these animals for the ballet? Are these toys really the dancers? There wasn’t even a background! However, as the program continued, my worries were proven irrelevant. The entire first act was just the Arkansas Philharmonic orchestra pieces. I started to worry if I had …show more content…
First was The Cuckoo in the Deep Woods from the ballet. I found this to be very similar to The Firebird variation. I noticed The Cuckoo in the Deep Woods used a distinct move from The Firebird variation; the dancer développéd into an arabesque and arched their back. Technically, this move can be associated with several other dances, but is most commonly associated with The Firebird. I find it especially similar because both the animals were birds. The second dance I noticed was Danse Macabre. I remember this music from a dance Equilibrium performed in October and for recital. The last piece I recognized was The Swan, which I found similar to the variation Dying Swan. This comparison was rather obvious, as “The Carnival of the Animals” used the same style of costume, music, and
When I first walked into the Arend Arts Center, I noticed the stage was split in two. Stage right had several chairs and music stands for the orchestra, while stage left had gray marley taped down to the floor. I was initially concerned because of the lack of space for the dancers. Half the stage? How are they going to perform a ballet on that! Down stage right also had a chest with blankets and stuffed animals piled on, which truly baffled me. Is the orchestra going to be using these animals for the ballet? Are these toys really the dancers? There wasn’t even a background! However, as the program continued, my worries were proven irrelevant. The entire first act was just the Arkansas Philharmonic orchestra pieces. I started to worry if I had …show more content…
First was The Cuckoo in the Deep Woods from the ballet. I found this to be very similar to The Firebird variation. I noticed The Cuckoo in the Deep Woods used a distinct move from The Firebird variation; the dancer développéd into an arabesque and arched their back. Technically, this move can be associated with several other dances, but is most commonly associated with The Firebird. I find it especially similar because both the animals were birds. The second dance I noticed was Danse Macabre. I remember this music from a dance Equilibrium performed in October and for recital. The last piece I recognized was The Swan, which I found similar to the variation Dying Swan. This comparison was rather obvious, as “The Carnival of the Animals” used the same style of costume, music, and