Does She Run Marathons en Pointe?! (and Other Things I Wondered While Watching 'Into the Lights&
This ballerina made dancing en pointe look painless, simple, and like a helluvalotta fun.
Who was she, you ask? Read on, reader, and you shall find out!
She danced in "Into the Lights," a show compiled of works by both Dancefusion and Ballet Fleming. The show was part of this year's FringeFest, presented in Philly's lovely Performance Garage.
This particular dancer I speak of was part of Ballet Fleming. Now, despite being wrong much of the time, I must confess that when I walk into a ballet performance, I sit down expecting traditional, dainty, predictable... Watching the premiere performance of Ballet Fleming's "Chicago," was exactly none of that. The seven dancers in Chicago (choreographed by Artistic Director of the group, Christopher Fleming) offered a more "jazzy" ballet with an upbeat enegry to a sountrack comprised of hits from the rock band, Chicago (hence the name of the show... see what they did there?). Impressive delivery of technicals steps, fresh choreography, as well as confident stage presence, kept this "rock ballet" from being kitschy. It was just plain awesome to watch.
I thoroughly enjoyed each of the four songs performed by Ballet Fleming, and found myself smiling throughout the performance. I noticed the dancers sneaking genuine smiles to one another while on stage, too; not the "stage smiles" we all practice during rehearsals and that leave our lips feeling sore after a show, not smiles meant for the audiece; these were the real, uncontrollable smiles that spread across the dancers' faces naturally, meant for one another. The dancers were having so much fun, and it was contageous.
My attention was repeatedly drawn to one dancer throughout Ballet Fleming's performance. She travelled the stage, spun circles within circles, and got down to rock in roll, all en pointe, and she looked like she was having a blast.
After the show, I interrupted the conversation she was having with a few other people to say, "You were amazing! It was such a joy to watch you!" She thanked me. I continued, "You make dancing on point look like the easiest and funnest thing ever!" Yep. I said funnest. "Which dancer are you?" I asked, motioning to the list of dancers in the show's program.
"Amanda Hall," she responded. I told her again how wonderful she was in the performance. She was gracious, and kind, and didn't make fun of my grammar.
My focus on her should not take away from the fact that the other six dancers were amazing, as well. They all complimented each other on stage and energized the room. Hopefully, Ballet Fleming will present "Chicago" again in Philly in the near future. When they do, don't miss it!
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Now, let me rewind to the first half the show; three unique numbers presented by Dancefusion.
The company (led by artistic director, Gwendolyn Bye) presented three dances, two choreographed by Tonia Shimin, and the other by José Limón and Daniel Lewis.
The opening number, Shimin's "In Our Own Light" offered contemporary movement in which groups of two or three shared syncornized choreography that stood out against, and built off of, the movement of the other groups. The individual dancers, within their pairs and trios, formed parts of one whole on stage, and their unison created a body that breathed and pulsed as one. The second work by Shimin, "Pilgrim," was a solo piece danced by Gabrielle Wright about the perilous personal journies we take on the way to inner peace. The originiality of the sountrack (City of Haven, spoken and sung by Jessye Norman) set the stage for an enticing experience that drew the audience in. Wright's movements, bold, unique and beautiful, coupled with her pensive expressions, made for an impressive performance.
José Limón began work on "the Waldstein Sonata" in 1971, and Daniel Lewis arranged its premiere showing in 1976. I was lucky enough to see it performed as Dancefusion's third number. Though much more traditional than Dancefusion's first two numbers, it offered a more fast-paced, light-on-the-feet excitement, and the dancers' expressions reflected the mood of the dance. To my surprise, it was my favorite from Dancefusion that night! Again, the nearly perfect on-stage syncronization offered by the members of Dancefusion allowed those of us in the audience to see the soul of the dance and enjoy its beauty.
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Overall, "Into the Lights " presented a diverse pallete of choreography and music through the talents of Dancefusion and Ballet Fleming. It was a great note on which to end my 2015 FringeFest!
