Romeo and Juliet 20th Century - Balcony Scene
Alessandra Ferri
Julio Bocca

I really enjoyed this piece. Romeo and Juliet is a classic and very well known. I liked how I was able to see a more delicate and soft side. The meaning and story was still portrayed even though there was not any dialogue. The music and dance moves were so detailed and descriptive; it really was captivating to watch. The whole piece was very beautiful and touching. I liked how I could see the the dancers expression not only through their movement, but also their facial features. Although, their expressions were bigger than usual, they were not over the top. I felt all their actions and expressions had a purpose (not forced or fake).
I liked how the dancers were able to comment their thoughts and feelings about the piece. Here are a few things that stuck with me:

• Quality, not quantity
• Need courage
• Be a person  before a dancer
• Eye communication is key
• Practice = working the body (never perfection)
• 'I'm playing me as Juliet"

Comments on Dance:
Juliet starts to dance, but is always accompanied by Romeo (partner)
Alessandra (Juliet) dances with grace, is gentle and delicate.
I felt great chemistry between the two dancers. I feel that is very important because it produces a genuine feeling and relationship between the two, which results in a fabulous production.
I noticed Juliet does some point work and seems to always be turned out.
really enjoyed the end of the dance were the two dancers acted playful, and ended the piece with a kiss letting the audience know they are still longing for one another.

 





 

Don Quxitoe - late 19 Century (Pas De Deux)
Paloma Herrera - 21 Years old
Angel Corella

I really got into this piece. I saw it transition into different movements, all unique and interesting to watch. I liked the costumes of the dancers, there were very beautiful and elaborate.I liked the different levels and colors that took place as the dance continued. I could see the passion and the strength in the dancers as this piece was danced. I noticed Paloma danced with grace and incredible strength. She held a lot of her poses which showed me her amazing balance. She  performed point work at some moments in the dance as well as a lot of repetition. The dance was done with passion and personality. The dance was broken up into sections were the dancers danced as a couple and than broke up into individual work were Paloma would do a solo exit and Angle would do a solo and than exit. This happened once more and made me feel as though they were trying to "one up" one another as they danced the the piece as well as show off as it continued on. As the couple danced together it was powerful and beautiful. There were a lot of lifts, in sync movements, turns, etc. When Angel danced his solo he did jumps, turns and hand gestures as big, powerful music played in the background. Yet, when Paloma came out to dance there was girlie, pretty music playing while she did jumps, turns, upbeat steps, happy, elegant movements, and used a fan prop. The dance was eye captivating and made me feel engaged. It was entertaining and fun to watch.

Brunch Violin Concerto 20th Century
3rd Movement

This piece is an ensemble, done with men and women in matching outfits. This particular video showed them wearing green costumes, while the main couple in the beginning wore a pretty purple matching outfit. I felt like the dance incorporated the main dancers as well as the ensemble nicely throughout the dance. I enjoyed watching the symmetry of the dance come together. I could see their was a set pattern and shape to the piece. During some parts of the piece the main couple would have the spotlight as they danced in the middle while the ensemble froze in the background. I thought that was a cool effect because everyone was still present, but not distracting the audience from what was happening. The group as a whole tried to be in sync; moving at the same pace, performing lifts, turns, ad point here an there. Although it is extremely difficult to get 16 ballet dancers to move at exactly together at the same time. The dance in general was eye appealing and different from the other two dances I saw. As the piece continued on, there were more main couples appearing. Altogether I believe there was four different main couples in their own matching colored outfits at the end of the piece. I did like how they incorporated the different color themes in this piece as well as the flow of it as a whole. I could clearly tell what was going on, and who to focus on most at certain parts of the dance due to their outfits.

One thing that stood out to me though was the quick interview / Q&A after the clip where the dancers (at random) were throwing out words that describes dance qualities. Here are a few I liked:

 

• Determination
• Personality
• Freedom
• Sense of humor
• passion

La Vivan Diere (1846)
Aurthur: St Leon
Choreographer: Steno

Ann Hutchinson Guest
Ivor Guest

This piece was very cute and warming as I watched it. It was also an ensemble group, but a much smaller one of only one male and 4 girls. The costuming in this piece reminded me of village people back in the day. The dance started off just with the women until the man entered. They as a whole performed a lot of in sync movements that really meshed together well and looked as one. If you think about it, It is much easier to get 5-6 people to be perfectly in sync compared to 16 or higher. The dance involved a lot of group work: holding of the hands, and a ton of intertwining between one another. The woman who appeared to be the female solo looked happy, upbeat, performed jumps, point work, hand gestures as well as repetition. The feel of the dance was joyful and happy. Although this dance was not as flashy as the Don Quixtoe, it still required great technique, talent, making it just as challenging and difficult. The man soloist part requires great strength, good technique and is actually very hard. The dance as a whole was put together very nicely and had a fun, airy feel to it. One thing that was mentioned in this clip was that each dance is planned and set to start off with, but it is the rehearsal that takes it to were it needs to be (next level).