Sjdanceco's Dance Concert Report

In a large city, full of diverse people, finding a musical performance is not hard to come by. Luckily, as I was searching online for different performances I ran across The Flex Crew performing at Skully’s music diner. I have been to Skully’s once before to watch a folk band perform. The atmosphere was a lot different than when we saw The Flex Crew. Obviously, the genre of music was a lot different, along with the atmosphere of the crowd. I was very surprised by the number of people in the bar that evening. Mostly, because the performance started at 11PM and the world series was on. On top of this, online their website said the show began at 10PM, but like a very great band they came out at their own pace. In the meantime, there was a DJ performing to keep the crowd alive. The Flex Crew is a reggae band from the Columbus area. After doing a little research I learned they are known as “the best reggae band in the Midwest.”

During the time of the discovery day dance, Trujillo was desiring to dance with the misses. He came across one lady who seemed to be perfect for him, one who stood out better than the rest. She was a fine woman in his eyes. So, he chose her to dance with. They appeared to have had a casual conversation for awhile it seemed.

The Faculty Dance Concert was an entertaining event filled with a variety of dance styles. The show took place on Friday, November 6, 2015, at 7:30 in the evening, and was held in the Fullerton College Campus Theatre. The founding artistic director is Melanie Kay Rosa and the assistant artistic director is Lisa M. Anderson. The dance faculty choreographers are Lisa M. Anderson, Sarah Cashmore, Teresa Jankovic, and Melanie Kay Rosa. The four guest choreographers are Helen Gardea, Robert Laos, Devon Smith and Shawnee Amara Williams. The two student choreographers are Ashely Garcia and Madeline Young.

The regalia that the dancers were wearing was absolutely beautiful and the amount of craftsmanship that some of them put in were awe-inspiring. I watched several of the dance contests. The Tiny Tots contest was so adorable and was great to see such young children actively participating in their culture. Another favorite was what they called the “Golden Age” dancers, where community elders took the stage. It meant so much to them, which was very profound. One of the older women looked very similar to my grandmother and reminded me of her. The centerpiece of the entire celebration of when the men’s fancy dance contest occurred. These were people at the top of their craft dressed in beautiful regalia. The realization that really struck me was just how modern a lot of the clothing and items were. Some dancers wore noticeable machine-made pieces; other wore bright neon colors that do not exist in nature. I remember the powwow (probably a little over a decade ago), where most of clothing was hand-sewn and beaded. This change was something I did not expect, but comes with modernization of any culture or tradition. Seeing how the dancers and the powwow itself have adapted to contemporary times while also holding on to the essentials of their traditions was so fascinating to see

This was particularly exciting because the music was written and sung by Beyonce, a majority favorite. However, the costumes lacked coordination and seemed put together very last minute. Although, the purple and red vests did match the lighting which added a unique touch. The dance moves were fun and upbeat which allowed for the audience to enjoy themselves and experience the joy the dancers expressed. The dance truly attempted and succeeded at displaying the true spirit of Beyonce. Also, the dance moves seemed to have been carefully planned out to their fullest potential. The originality of the dance was exceptional which was one of the many components that cultivated its excellent

The Repertory Dance Company Fall Dance Concert was held at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center. The dancers involved in this dance concert are part of the University of Southern Mississippi Dance Department meaning they are either pursuing a degree in dance or teach dance at a university level. Both students and faculty had the opportunity to present work during adjudication to be chosen to be presented at this concert. I particularly enjoyed this concert because, while all of the dances presented were a part of the broad genre of modern dance, each dance had such a unique aesthetic so the concert still provided a great amount of variety to keep the audience captivated. The two pieces I have chosen to review represent this variety very

On April 11th, 2017 in the Louis Armstrong Theatre, I attended the GVSU “University Band”. This up-beat ensemble lasted about 90 minutes; the talented students of GVSU’s university band joined together to perform multiple different songs ranging from a Waltz to a Dixieland Jamboree. All of the songs that the band played for the audience were all well-known, popular songs that they all enjoyed. Having the opportunity to attend this concert has opened new musical paths for myself and has allowed me to enjoy and kindly critique something that I perhaps would have never had the chance to otherwise.

     The play included all types of dancing, including Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Tap, and Lyrical. Most of the dancing, however, was a form of Jazz. At one point in the play a group of bugs perform a tap dance. This scene was comical, but the tapping was outstanding. Most of the actors are accomplished singers, actors, and dancers with a lot of previous experience. Many of them have attended performing art schools and not only rehearse their main role, but also understudy 2 to 3 other characters. The actors are all well practiced, which is evident in the quality of the show.

I attended a blues concert in Hayward and it was one of the most culturing experiences of my life. I learned a lot about the culture and context surrounding the blues music. I found the lyrics thought provoking especially, B.B. King’s “Why I Sing the Blues” sung by Billy Dunn. Prior to me attending this concert I hardly knew anything about the blues music or historical roots. I never listened to the blues before, so I am unaware of this type of music, but I learned a lot about this style of music and enjoyed it. I also learned about the impact Hayward had on the blues and blues musicians when African Americans migrated from the deep south to the then unincorporated area of Hayward, known as Russell city. Ethnically, the majority of the attendees were African American, the second highest ethnic group attendees were Caucasian. This makes sense, since the blues and jazz were developed in the south of the U.S. and is associated with Africans. For African Americans, the blues and jazz goes a long way back in history, more specifically their history. It is associated with African American history in America, as well as African oppression and liberation.

There were ballet dancers, jazz ballet dancers, disco dancers not to mention untaught and thankfully, untapped, tap dancers.

I was at Vale remix last night. I really enjoyed every piece, but admit that at by the time the last piece started about 2 1/2 hours in, I was having trouble concentrating. Some impressions - I'd love to see more of BalletX and Matthew Neeman's choreography. This one viewing left me with the feeling that the dancers are accomplished, distinctive and versatile. Newman created duets that had individuality and moved dancers around the stage in unison dancing in a captivating way.

The costumes were also an impressive element to the performance. The costumes were full of rich and bright colors. The women wore bright pinks, greens, and yellows, and all the other colors in between. The dresses often had flowery pink patterns on them with a bright green piece of cloth that they wore as like a belt. The costumes are also a huge part of Japanese culture that they were able to incorporate to help paint the picture. Probably the most impressive element to the performance was the drumming and music itself of course. During one of the dances the drummers match the sounds perfectly with the women dancers, and this combined rhythm with dance combined to create this very theatrical spectacle. The faces of some of the male drummers have a very concentrated, and deep expression that create drama in the performance, and heighten the sense of excitement. The synchronization of some of the dances were perfectly executed as well, and the level of creativity and uniqueness of the movements was beautiful. Also just the overall fitness and motion fluidity was an impressive element

In one my classes; Dance Appreciation, I had an assignment to view a dance piece on YouTube. The dance that I viewed was called “She without arm, he without leg, Hand in Hand”. The dance was not only informative, but it was enlightening to watch.

The costume that the dancers were wearing seemed very interesting. The costumes looked very comfortable on the dancers.

This fall dance concert was filled with joy, darkness, torture, culture, and women's rights, right when you sit down and observe through all 8 dance performances. It would have been 9 dance routines but the dancer who was suppose to perform Hart Broken had an injury, which made a putt off. Nevertheless the show must go on, it starts off with the first and second performance, Xtra Xtra and Scar Tissue. Revealing that both performances were different themes because Xtra Xtra had the dancers in radiant colors and seemed to be energetic, whereas the performers in Scar Tissue were clothed in black attire, such as tutus, dresses, and tights, yet still energetic. This brought to my attention that the whole dance performances were contrast to each other. Throughout the routines of the dance concert, the