I know the reviews are already out, and a weekend of shows has gone by, but I thought it might be interesting for you all to get my thoughts on PNB’s second program. If you don’t know already, the mixed bill is the following four ballets: Agon by George Balanchine, Kiss by Susan Marshall, Caught by David Parsons, and In The Upper Room by Twyla Tharp. The rep is aptly named Contemporary Classics.
The only ballet I’m not able to give a real broad judgment on is Kiss. The only way that I’ve experienced it is by watching, not dancing. If you don’t know already, Kiss has just two dancers, and they’re suspended above the stage in harnesses. It is a beautiful piece that I would love to do one day. There is no ‘ballet’ done in this work, but it looks like you have to have a good sense of weight, timing, and of course, artistry-- All things that we strive for in ballet. The story that I’ve made up when watching Kiss may be silly, but I see two lovers and their many life experiences together. The contact between the couple speaks volumes. I see loss, forgiveness, compassion, support, and encouragement. Briefly put, the journey of a couple.
Agon is the first ballet on the program and possibly my favorite. There is a cool, understated intensity that sucks you in, whether you’re dancing or watching. It’s so engaging, especially in the main pas de deux. I’ve learned by doing this ballet a second time that it’s much easier to do if you just rely on your technique rather than force it. It also helped me this time to have a character or personality behind my dancing. You often hear dancers say that, but it truly makes a difference to be outside yourself (or in character). It’s probably why I enjoy acting in story ballets. Anyway, Agon should be in the Webster’s dictionary under classic, because it is that and always will be.
I would say that Caught is the ‘wow moment’ of the whole show. It’s only about 6 or 7 minutes, but it gets the biggest response of all the pieces. There is a strobe light effect that happens in the ballet, which makes the dancer look as though they are floating. My favorite part of Caught (when dancing it) is the first two minutes of the ballet where there is no strobe light effect. I enjoyed doing the Parson’s movement in the small pools of light. After those first couple minutes, the jumping starts and gets very intense. The phrase “Timing is everything” comes to mind (you’d really have to see the ballet to know what I mean). There is such an amazing response from the audience that it helps get you to the end of the piece.
In The Upper Room is the closer of the program and I have yet to perform it. Today, I had my second ‘dancing’ rehearsal/run through and all went well. Tomorrow afternoon I have my pseudo dress rehearsal where I get to experience the smoke filled stage! I perform this ballet tomorrow night, so I’ll let you know later how it goes. What I’ve learned from the rest of the dancers is that it’s an extreme forty minutes with no place to let down. Wish me luck!!
One of my favorite moments performing this rep so far was last Friday night when the curtain went up for Caught. I’m going to sound crazy, but it felt remarkable. The stage was black. I was standing center, center. There was about five seconds that I was able to look out at the audience without them knowing that I was looking at them. Maybe I was just excited, but I could actually feel a surge of energy coming from the audience. I wish the moment could have lasted longer. That energy is probably always there when the curtain rises, but I’ve never been able to actually observe it. It was truly weird, but in a good way : )
If you live in Seattle and you’re able to attend a show I highly suggest it this program. There is something for everyone! Thanks for reading & check back soon!
The only ballet I’m not able to give a real broad judgment on is Kiss. The only way that I’ve experienced it is by watching, not dancing. If you don’t know already, Kiss has just two dancers, and they’re suspended above the stage in harnesses. It is a beautiful piece that I would love to do one day. There is no ‘ballet’ done in this work, but it looks like you have to have a good sense of weight, timing, and of course, artistry-- All things that we strive for in ballet. The story that I’ve made up when watching Kiss may be silly, but I see two lovers and their many life experiences together. The contact between the couple speaks volumes. I see loss, forgiveness, compassion, support, and encouragement. Briefly put, the journey of a couple.
Agon is the first ballet on the program and possibly my favorite. There is a cool, understated intensity that sucks you in, whether you’re dancing or watching. It’s so engaging, especially in the main pas de deux. I’ve learned by doing this ballet a second time that it’s much easier to do if you just rely on your technique rather than force it. It also helped me this time to have a character or personality behind my dancing. You often hear dancers say that, but it truly makes a difference to be outside yourself (or in character). It’s probably why I enjoy acting in story ballets. Anyway, Agon should be in the Webster’s dictionary under classic, because it is that and always will be.
I would say that Caught is the ‘wow moment’ of the whole show. It’s only about 6 or 7 minutes, but it gets the biggest response of all the pieces. There is a strobe light effect that happens in the ballet, which makes the dancer look as though they are floating. My favorite part of Caught (when dancing it) is the first two minutes of the ballet where there is no strobe light effect. I enjoyed doing the Parson’s movement in the small pools of light. After those first couple minutes, the jumping starts and gets very intense. The phrase “Timing is everything” comes to mind (you’d really have to see the ballet to know what I mean). There is such an amazing response from the audience that it helps get you to the end of the piece.
In The Upper Room is the closer of the program and I have yet to perform it. Today, I had my second ‘dancing’ rehearsal/run through and all went well. Tomorrow afternoon I have my pseudo dress rehearsal where I get to experience the smoke filled stage! I perform this ballet tomorrow night, so I’ll let you know later how it goes. What I’ve learned from the rest of the dancers is that it’s an extreme forty minutes with no place to let down. Wish me luck!!
One of my favorite moments performing this rep so far was last Friday night when the curtain went up for Caught. I’m going to sound crazy, but it felt remarkable. The stage was black. I was standing center, center. There was about five seconds that I was able to look out at the audience without them knowing that I was looking at them. Maybe I was just excited, but I could actually feel a surge of energy coming from the audience. I wish the moment could have lasted longer. That energy is probably always there when the curtain rises, but I’ve never been able to actually observe it. It was truly weird, but in a good way : )
If you live in Seattle and you’re able to attend a show I highly suggest it this program. There is something for everyone! Thanks for reading & check back soon!