La Costa Canyon High School Winter Dance Recital

The dances that the director chose to showcase were extremely loose and free in my opinion. The dancers just flopped their bodies around, threw

Some of the movements executed by the dancers are similar to those executed by dancers in a stepping performance and also in a tap dance presentation. This presentation falls into the group of the new trends of modern dance, in which the choreographer are taking more and more liberty with various dance combinations, and including strong messages in their work. I would definitely attend other dance performance, not only from this company, but also by other companies; and would also recommend this performance, especially to people going through a dark period in their life. This performance finished convincing me that dance is surely the most communicative of the art forms, and that a single presentation can convey more than one

As I watched the dance concert I began connecting what I was seeing to what we had already seen and discussed in class. One important connection I noticed heavily in the first half was the resemblance to Doris Humphrey’s technique which focused on the breath while dancing. I noticed this in almost all of the dances in the first half, but especially “Etched Breath” by Kelly Francis. “Separating the Strand” was slightly dissimilar to Martha Graham’s technique because it didn’t seem to utilize the contract and release method and did not include as much of the percussive, sharp movement quality. Because of all I have learned about modern dance this semester, I believe I was better able to appreciate these works of art. I particularly enjoyed “Separating the Strand” because of the beautiful movement quality and energy level as well as the interesting moments of

The Chino Hills High School Dance Team performed in their first competition at Esperanza High School. The competition started off with the Freshmen Solos, from Natalie Garcia, Scarlette Esparza, Zachary Ramos, and Simone Carrillo. Sophomore Solos, from Hayley Dyer and Megan Glaudini. Junior Solos, from Brooke Wendel, Rheana Tumang, and Mia Roberts, and Senior Solos, from Emily Ha and Florrie Ku. The sophomore, junior, and senior solos took first place!

I think that costume was interesting and strongly related to the music and the type of dance that he is doing, but I think if the tie was on him, would make the dance more interesting. On the other dance, the two dancers were wearing also formal clothes and the costume showed how they were lovers. I think the suit that they were wearing helped the story and the feeling to be reached to the audience. Lastly, Breakfast Burrito, the costume for this dance was different for every dancer, where every dancer had his different color costume and there was nobody wearing a suit. A dynamic dance like this one needs to have a mix of bright colors to make it more interesting. In my point of view, the costumes for this dance was amazing.

On April 14, 2017, my friend and I visited for the first time Salt Lake City Community College dance company’s annual performance. The show was presented at the Grand Theater at the South City Campus of the college. The performance’s name “Moving Words” imply what the audience was about to experience. “Moving Words” consists of 18 different dances and each of those dances brought a unique feeling to the overall performance. I thought that the dancers and choreographers have done an amazing job. However, after seeing all the different dances there were two that stuck together with me, because of the ideas and the morals these dances introduced.

Movement quality is a very important aspect of any performance. Although, I thought all the pieces were astonishing, I felt the movement quality for each performance was slightly different. In “Let me in. Let me out”, many of the movements performed in were done in a ripple effect to peaceful music. Also, the performers incorporated their breath into their movement as the lights changed from light to

The dance choreography in the musical was very good and flowed very freely with each song.  For example,  all the characters danced in the opening with smooth glides and transitions.  When the circus came to town, the dance choreography worked the entire stage.

That was until the “strange” music started and the dancers came out moving the portable flats to create imageries. It was really distracting having some of the dancers, usually a male and a female, narrate the story while others danced on stage the same time. I was so captivated and drawn into the dialogue being shared that I forgot at the initial part of the performance that I came to watch a dance. I had to adjust my eyes to see the whole stage so I don’t miss a

I believe that the routine was not well put together. A necessary component in the piece was an overly cocky, in-your-face attitude. The piece was set to “Whuteva” by Remy Ma, which reflects this attitude. The dancers however, did not deliver. They weren’t exuding the confidence that the piece demanded from them and because of this, the music overshadowed the performers.

What I enjoy during the concert was the dancers performing without being distracted or scare by the audience. Granted it’s to be expected and the dancers are not strangers to this, but nice to see performers not buckle down to the pressure of fear because of the audience. At the same time, I understand that they do, but what I have seen they didn't show it. What I don't like was not the quality the dances, but the different types of dances shown. Most dancers I saw only modern or contemporary pieces and the only thing different was the hip hop pieces. I didn't seem to find classical ballet, tap, jazz or anything to diversify the concert. While I didn't find the concert a chore to watch and was engaging, but I find myself looking at the hip hop dances more than I would for modern or contemporary mostly due to something different to watch.

I found it fascinating that one doesn’t need to know how to dance a certain style to choreograph it. Kathy Woods does not dance hip hop, but she still has created choreographies that have been in the finals for dance competitions. I liked how Adam said that he thinks that showcasing is a better way to show all the hard work put into a choreography rather than performing in competitions. I think this it is awesome that he loves to dance and enjoys entertaining people with his work. I thought it was unique how Kathy incorporated classical music with a hip hop choreography and created something that people enjoy watching. Something that I also found amazing is how Kathy has traveled all over the world. She has been to almost every state in the

Beyoncé’s rendition was like an ode to the past infused with the new. She took some of the past dances from Rosas and put some new school into it. The color pop parts, hairstyles, and some of the outfit changes had a 50s-60s flair to it. Not all of Beyoncé’s movements were sharp, it seemed like the parts that came off as sharp were edited to look that way. Most of Beyoncé’s movements were to go along with the song and mimic the fast pace of it compared to Rosas. In Countdown, there was some individuality with all of the dancers including Beyoncé, for the most part, they all had on different clothes in different colors so you were able to distinguish them from one another. There were male and female dancers throughout

The music sounded spirited and enhanced the theme of the dance. The music was played well with the dance. The lighting was focused on the rocking chair and the dancers. It was not too dark and the lights did not overpower the dancers. The costumes did contribute to the piece and were not manipulated during this particular dance. The rocking chair was the main prop and it completed the focus of the dance. The makeup and hair design was appropriate for the dance with the black masks and black costumes. If you understand the story of the song that the artist wrote, it falls into place with the black and spooky theme and costumes presented in this

I decided to watch the fall dance concert, Reflections, at IVC for this critique. The performances were held in the theater which to my surprise, is larger than I expected. I was also delighted to see the use of multiple kinds of lights to imbue a specific meaning. All the performances were great but the ones I felt the most connection to after watching are the ones I have decided to write on. The first piece that had a lasting impact on me is titled Unwavering struggle and is choreographed by Jennifer La Curan. This piece is set to six different songs some of which are Oh, Dear What Can the Matter Be by Elizabeth Knight, You Don’t Own Me by Lesley Gore, and I Can’t Keep Quiet by The Faithful Choir. It includes seven dancers, all of which are girls. The second piece that stayed with me is the piece titled Polar Variant also choreographed by Jennifer La Curan and other faculty dancers. There were a mix of four guys and seven girls all of which were split in two different groups.