Elements Of Dance Performance

After remembering the elements of each performance, the three that were most memorable are: “Swan Lake,” Harlequin “Pax De Deux,” and “Opaque, Unfazed.” Each captivated me throughout the night and I am glad I had the opportunity to attend. “Swan Lake,” Act II, started strong by illuminating blue light and covering the stage with fog as Odette flutters her wings. While I did feel slightly disappointed at the coordination of movements and music between Odette and Prince Siegfried, in the end I feel like even those elements contributed to the performance and story in an important way. The third performance of the night, Harlequin “Pas De Deux,” served as a comical relief between serious performances. The theme was lighthearted and joyous and that …show more content…
As a lover of dance, and as a dancer myself, I couldn’t help but notice when their moves didn’t match the music. Of course, ballet requires a tremendous amount concentration to stay balanced, but it seemed too noticeable in some sections of the performance for my taste. For instance, when Odette danced with prince Siegfried for the first time in Act II. The whole section is supposed to be a dreamy and romantic conversation between them as they bond, but I kept getting pulled back to reality. Because the moves take a lot of concentration, they seemed to focus all their attention on doing the move right, rather than letting it flow all together. They used the music as a cue for the next movement instead of following the rhythm with each move naturally. As the two got more comfortable with each passing moment, however, their rhythms became in tune with each other and the music. Although I do not enjoy when couple dancers do not flow together, I can see the symbolism of this for the story. Whether it was intended or not, it’s almost as if they were so involved with their character that they felt hesitant when the two first danced together. Because the characters themselves would have been hesitant and off beat at first, so were the dancers playing them. Other than the beginning scene when Odette is fluttering her wings amongst blue smoke covering the entire stage, the swans entering the forest is one of …show more content…
I took something away with each performance, with three having the most impact on me. “Swan Lake,” despite the minor mess ups in flow, let me get lost in the forest and feel as though I was there with the swans as they entered the stage. The soft blue lighting combined with the airy fluttering of the swans captivated me until the end. With Harlequin “Pas De Deux,” I was entertained with a lighthearted no strings attached performance. Watching this made me forget about the other performances for a moment as all I had to do was watch happiness unfold. The last was an intriguing piece with a new type of sound I have not seen used this way yet. I loved how the dancers resembled liquid reacting to music on a speaker, it added to the futuristic feeling of the piece. At the end of the day, I would go and see each of these more than once in the future. I liked the variety of performances and how each one gave me a new idea to be inspired by and share with