Steam Heat Performance Analysis

The two clips I chose to compare and contrast were an NYC jazz and contemporary company’s performance of “Steam Heat” choreographed by Lisa Donmall-Reeve and Lindsey’s Stirling’s performance of a Les Miserables medley. Both clips exhibited a high degree of musicality and grabbed my attention almost immediately. They incorporated lighting and costuming with an incredible mastery to enrich the performance. I highly enjoyed the music that accompanied both dances and thought that the choreography worked well with the music. While both works of art have incredibly interesting and complex choreographic elements there are important dissimilarities as well as points of comparison.
First the dancers in the performance of “Steam Heat” predominately used their arms and legs for grand gestures and kicks. I noticed throughout the dance the dancers kept their torsos very taunt and stood up very tall and straight. They did a …show more content…
The costuming is gorgeous and helps you to see the distinctive characters throughout the performance. The costumes are beautiful and fits Parisian style, setting, and time-period of the story. The scenery helps the audience to envision that they are actually seeing the streets of Paris prior to the French Revolution.
Both performances have similarities but also have very distinct contrasts. Both dances rely heavily on arm, leg, shoulder, and head movements. The lack of movement along the midline was a choreographic choice in “Steam Heat”; however, Stirling was limited in her torso and arm movements because she was playing a violin. The “Steam Heat” performance lacked in theatric elements; whereas, The Les Miserables medley takes full advantage costuming and scenery. Also the Les Miserables performance actually features characters and somewhat of a plotline unlike “Steam