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Roundhouse Performance Review

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October 23, 2016 Lesley Telford and Project20 performed at the Roundhouse Performance Centre, presented by Dance Allsorts. Two ensemble works with a history and structure of similarities as well as differences. This mixed program was an exquisite society physicalizing emotion and concept in very technical vocabularies. My personal experience with this show has much to do with my prior knowledge, connection to the artists involved in Lesley Telford’s work, as well as my uninformed and non-preconceived perception of the work Project20 by Donald Sales in which I only knew anything about from the program I got handed at the door. Lastly, a question and answer period after the performance which became a part of my experience and critique of the …show more content…

Although lines, technical form, and tricks were being executed beautifully the Beethoven out played the dancers and I craved the larger dynamic of the group I had seen previously. Once exhaustion set in, I then saw the unison at the end differently each dancer became more authentic, with more to offer the rich context. A line of gestures formed while the dancers added an interesting groove, each finger gun alongside each surrender became a conversation within who is fighting and who’s questioning. The dancers move up stage fading from sight, and we are left with only their silhouettes.

Gates of Hell by Donald Sales was the next piece, and I had no idea what to expect. A compilation of solos started the piece with a few of the same dancers who were in Telford’s piece previously. In a similar way to Telford’s work I was completely captivated by the dancer’s unique solos. Each dancer was beautiful and clearly invested from the start of the piece until the end. It was noticeable that all of their movements came from a similar training. I had read that all of the dancers had been training in …show more content…

I realized that as an artist I want to be articulate with what I do in my art, as a dancer, but especially with anything that I choreograph with the intention of showing to a larger audience. As a dancer Telford’s piece actually made me write notes in my artistic statement document, about exhaustion and its window into authenticity. Sales challenged me with the thought process within a work specifically towards your own research within context and awareness within aesthetic choices. This matinee not only exposed beautiful visceral movement, but ended up being an insightful and educational moment in time for my personal love and journey in

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