Dance or Ballet Critique

Your name: Primrose Werner-Scalf

Class day/time: Humanities 1100-29

Event: BYU Ballet Showcase____ Date of event: Nov. 8, 2014_________

Performers: Students & Faculty Member____ Location of event: BYU- Richards Building__
Your review should answer all of the following questions with enough detail & reflection to
satisfy the question. Your completed review should run between two and three pages.
1. What major mood in the concert interested you? How did the music help you understand the dance?
When the dance first started, I must say I feel guilty because my first reaction was a desire to laugh. I was
embarrassed about that desire and I immediately told myself that people probably laugh at me when
I dance Hula. I looked at the dance and tried to find beauty in it, and I did. Ballet is a very peaceful and
beautiful dance. I really liked the pieces that involved classical music. It put me in a really comfortable
mood. The dances with classical music seemed more collective, organized, and traditional. There were
also more modern dance pieces with techno-pop like music which I did not appreciate as much, it seemed
off-key and like it should have been a contemporary dance piece rather than ballet.
2. Did the performance have a theme or concept that guided the choreography? What was it?
The dances changed entirely depending on the music. It didn't seem to have a direct pattern because the
dance pieces seemed to jump from one genre to the next. The beats, and rhythms dictated the flow and
moves of the dancers. I knew as soon as I heard the music if the upcoming dance would be modern or
traditional. The choreography went along well with the genre of music played. The theme of the dances
tonight were choreographed by dancers who studied French dance and warlike dance which made for a
very interesting mix. There was an Irish dance piece, a Russian dance piece and a few others I am
uncertain of.
3. Was the choreography interesting? Did it have variety, or was it repetitive with few ideas?
Did it tell a story or was it about shape and form and movement?
The choreography was very interesting, yet very beautiful and versatile. There were a few dances
I thought were very strange but I tried to keep an open mind by trying to interpret the dance the best
I could. Most dances were very hard for me to interpret because ballet is very different from
dances I am accustomed to. Because I am from Hawaii, dances I am familiar with are the Hula,
and dancing styles derived from Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand and other Polynesian cultures.
Ballet is slightly repetitive and although it seemed as if the dances were telling stories, it was very

hard for me to tell what they were saying. The dances seemed to be about shape, form, and movement
but I sense they were telling us stories as well, I'm just not familiar with the moves enough to interpret
the movements.
4. Did the dancers seem to have good control of their technique? Did their movements seem easy and
comfortable, or were they "out of control"?
The movements seemed really controlled. All the dancers had really nice, toned bodies which seemed
necessary with the way they danced. The dance moves looked really hard, and as if you would need a
lot of strength and muscle in order to move the way they did. There were a lot of times I felt my face
cringe because some of the moves they did looked like it was painful and nearly impossible to do.
I was just in awe at their strength and endurance. To move the way they did looks like it takes a lot of
patience and dedication to learn and do. I give ballet dancers major props for what they do. Being as it
was ballet, the dancers were on their toes a lot which looked extremely sore. They also hopped around
a lot and rolled around the floor, which looked pretty uncomfortable. Their moves were pretty fluid and
smooth which made for a beautiful dance.
5. What aspects of the style of the piece(s) did you like or dislike? Why?
I really liked the more traditional, and classical styles of dance. It was so beautiful and serene. They started
the show off with a dance to the song Gregorio Allegri Miserere, which is one of my favorite songs, and the
dance that went along with it was very silky and even. I did not like the modern/contemporary dances
because it was just flat out weird. In one contemporary/modern like dance piece, the dancers painted their
faces white. The face painting had a geisha like feel to it. They danced in a strange way and kept staring into
the crowd with straight faces which was a little creepy in my opinion. I didn't like it because it was an

awkward compilation of dance moves and the music was also creepy. The music was a remix of static noises
you hear when trying to change a radio station mixed with what sounded like conversations going on in
the background. I just felt uncomfortable during this dance, and wished it would end, unfortunately
it was the longest piece they did.
6. Did the staging of the piece seem to be "balanced" i.e., did everything about the performance
seem to work together well? Was there any aspect that you found to be distracting or out of
sync with the whole?
For $6 a ticket, I felt the piece was very balanced and well put together. The music, lighting and stage
were set up symmetrically and in a manner where all in the theater could see the dancers perfectly.
Because I was sitting on the third row, I was really close to the dancers and because I was so close, I
noticed a few things about the performance that were distracting like the sound of the "tapping"

of the ballet shoes hitting the ground, and I could also see the dancers running in and out of the door
that led backstage. The lighting was too dark. Every time there was a break in between numbers, they'd
turn the lights back on and I would have to close my eyes so that I could readjust them to the lights being
turned on and off which was really annoying.
7. Did the dancers work well as an ensemble (i.e. were their lines clean and symmetrical?
Did they all work together for the good of the piece? Did you feel that the energy was distributed well?)
I noticed that most of the dancers weren't in sync with the rest of the group. I can imagine how hard
it would be to be perfectly in sync with everyone else, but when you know two dancers are supposed
to do the same dance and one is a few seconds behind the other, it's very noticeable. Some girls were
symmetrical than the others but they all basically worked well together. I felt the energy wasn't distributed
well. Some girls were more serious, while others were more excited and happy, and others seemed pretty
unsure about themselves and like they were uncertain about what they were doing. It was still beautiful
nonetheless.
8. Was there a particular dancer or piece of choreography that stood out to you? Why?
There was a dancer who stood out to me for a number of reasons. She seemed very happy and passionate
about dancing. She was one of the only girls who had a smile on her face occasionally. She seemed to go at
a pace that was right for her. While all the other dancers seemed somewhat unsure about themselves
(because they kept looking at the other dancers and mimicking them), this particular dancer knew what she
was doing and had great timing. Her dancing was incredible, she never faltered and she carried herself very

well. You could tell she knew all the dances by heart and probably practiced more, or was more experienced,
than the other girls because her moves were strong and precise.
9. Did the dancers and choreography work well with the music?
There were a few dances I felt didn't match the music. Some dances were either too dramatic for my taste,
but I guess drama is an appreciated aspect in most arts. Overall the dances were very good for the music.
There were a few moments that I had while watching the dancers where I wished I could have been a
ballerina dancer. There were other times I flat out smiled at the dances and music because it was so
impressive and good. Overall it was an amazing performance.
10. How did the set, lighting, costumes and sound compliment the mood/tone of the piece(s)?
The set was nice, I really liked the pictures they chose to go along with the dances, the colors of the
screen in the background and the costumes went well with the songs and dances. The lighting was too

dark in the crowd but the stage lighting was great. I could see the dancers perfectly. The music was perfect
because it wasn't too loud or too soft. The mood and tone of the pieces I think were too soft but I think it
gave the feel the choreographers wanted us to have. I notice my mood shifting with every new song, and
dance. It was a great experience.
11. What was "artistic" or "beautiful" or disturbing about the performance? What most
appealed to you in the "spectacle" of the DANCE? Again be specific about what you
enjoyed and why.
The dances in general were so just so breath-takingly beautiful and rich. It seemed to be so well-to-do and
upper-class, like not barbaric in any way, unlike most of the dances I'm familiar with. The way the girls
moved was so enchanting. Their bodies moved like the wind. Their hand motions were so graceful.
Their leg lifts were so even and fast. It was purely beautiful. Their moves were so elegant. The dances
were feminine yet the moves they made were filled with so much strength. It was so womanly and delicate
yet so strong and controlled. They were so flexible yet stable and poise. I liked the way they used their
entire bodies to express their dance. I just loved the way their bodies moved, and their flexibility, strength
and grace. The dances literally had me in awe.
(You may use your opinion about the above in negative terms if that is what you find most important.
I will not award credit for repeating the plot/story. It is important that you give me reactions about
the event that you saw.)