Welcome to Alison's World!

Review of a critic

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 08:06:32 GMT

Arlene Croce’s attack on Bill T. Jones’ Still/Here is appalling considering the fact that she did not even view the piece. Croce is relentless in bashing and tearing apart Bill T. Jones’ piece, calling it “victim art.” It certainly is not fair that she gave a biased opinion about this piece even though her article was not a review. She had no justification and no proof supporting her argument. Croce did not give Still/Here a chance and jumped right into critiquing it, which I found contradictory with the fact that she felt “victim art” was not worth critiquing. Throughout the entire article, Croce seemed to be fearing the rise of this “victim art,” covering up that fear with arguments against the validity of this new art form. What exactly is she fearing? Is it the AIDs epidemic itself? Is Croce afraid of this spread of knowledge about something so formidable as terminal illness, especially one that affects gays and drug users? She goes as far as to tell people to not view Still/Here because it is not “dance” or real “art.” Croce is entitled to her own opinions, but to go as far as to convince us what is worth valuing and appreciating is absurd.

school has kept me from posting my reviews!

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:34:48 GMT

I haven't posted reviews lately because of my crazy spring quarter. I have to make some edits for the review I wrote for my midterm and then I will post it. It's summer so now I have more time to read and write. Maybe I'll write reviews for dance shows I see throughout summer, if I even do get to see any. Or maybe I'll expand and write reviews for all the arts. That's ambitious, but I will definitely try. If you see no more posts, then I have failed or I'm just really busy with school!

I'm ok, really. Please don't worry about me and I'm happy that you're happy.

Assignment #3

Fri, 25 May 2007 22:57:21 GMT

We had to write reviews about a piece called "Barrelhouse Blues" choreographed by Katherine Dunham from a West European point of view and an Africanist point of view.

p.s. Katherine Dunham is amazing, so I enjoyed writing the Africanist point of view, and I had to think really hard to write from a West European point of view.

I got 5 out 5 on these reviews :)

“Barrelhouse Blues” Evaluation

West European view:
“Barrelhouse Blues” is a provocative display of jazz culture brought to the classical stage. The dancers are seductive and perform suggestive movements that may be inappropriate for the general audience. Dancers in “Barrelhouse Blues” do not seem to be moving like dancers, rather they appear to be acting out their parts or acting as they would a night out at a jazz club. At times the dancers come off as comedic and humorous, which makes “Barrelhouse Blues” entertaining to watch, but not fitting for a stage where the greatest classical works have been performed. This dance is a mockery of classical art and culture, deviating significantly from aesthetic standards that have existed for centuries.

Africanist view:
“Barrelhouse Blues” is a marvelous example of how African aesthetics have come to influence American dance. It brings to the stage a beautiful mixture of African influenced genres of dance such as jazz and contemporary, telling a story of human feelings and interactions that is both entertaining and mind provoking. The dance clearly demonstrates high affect juxtaposition, melting African dance isolations with the Florida swamp shimmy. The dancers perform seductive movements with a coolness and nonchalant attitude that seems to baffle the audience. Bringing this vernacular dance to a classical stage marks a turning point in American dance and truly makes what American performing arts really is, a melting pot of influences from cultures all over the world.

Assignment #2

Fri, 25 May 2007 02:32:57 GMT

My context assignment. I didn't enjoy this one too much so that is probably why I got a 3 out of 5.

West Side Story is a clear depiction of the rivalry between two gangs of upper west side New York during the 1950s. The acrobatic battling between the Sharks and Jets represents gang violence and the enmity between Caucasian New Yorkers and Puerto Rican immigrants at that time. After World War II, a wave of Puerto Rican migration to New York occurred because Puerto Rico underwent a governmental change that did not provide favorable economic conditions for its people. Puerto Ricans faced severe racial discrimination and disrespect from native new Yorkers upon arrival, and this treatment persisted for quite some time, catalysing art forms such as the theatre to depict these social situations in musicals such as West Side Story. The musical opens with scenes showing the Sharks and Jets eyeing each other rudely as they cross paths and the Jets occasionally throwing racial slurs at the Sharks. Tension between the two gangs rise and one scenses an inevitable clash. Tempers flare as the continual harassment between both groups is unbearable and the boys snap, releasing all supressed anger and lashing at each other relentlessly.
When West Side Story first debuted, it was different from other musicals because it contained a realistic and dark theme as opposed to the whimsical and light tone of other muscials created during the 1950s. It grabbed the attention of the general public, since many could relate to its theme of social injustice and discrimination. The loose incorporation of a classical Romeo and Juliet plot preserved a sense of tradition in this modern musical as well. West Side Story is a prime example of traditonal American theatre changing with constantly evolving American culture.

My assignments

Fri, 25 May 2007 02:21:17 GMT

I'm taking a Dance Criticism and Aesthetics class. It's very interesting. I've never looked at dance in this way before. I love it because I can also do the other thing that I love to do, which is write. And it's not like writing research papers, it's writing about what you see and how you feel and being effective in doing it. My teacher brought up a good point. Dance is different from the other arts because it is the only art where you have to deal with people. You can't sit in a corner and dance. You need to move. And if you're a choreographer, you need to move people. It's not for the fragile. We have to write assignments every week and these assignments teach us how to write like a dance critic. It helped improve my writing a lot. There are only a handful of critics who write reviews for newspapers and the dance world is beginning to worry that dance is not being documented correctly, which is why maybe most people don't take it seriously and don't understand it.

"you have to love dancing to stick to it. it gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive. it is not for unsteady souls."
-Merce Cunningham

So, I'm going to post my assignments online. To teach the world about writing about dance. My reviews aren't that great, and they follow a prompt, so they are not "real" dance reviews. But here's my small contribution :)

My first assignment. A description of a dance I watched. I got a 4 out 5.

The young couple seemed lost in their own world as they glided effortlessly across the stage. The lad pulled his lover close to him, and her feet slid as if on a floor covered with oil. He lifted her over his shoulder so that her face was just inches away from his. Then, he gently placed her back on her feet, and the lovers walked hand in hand and arms intertwined, taking long, slow strides to savor every moment they had with each other. They stopped and she stretched her long, thin leg upwards, reaching her toes toward the ceiling as he supported her like a pillar. She wrapped her leg around his shoulder and climbed onto his upper back as he twirled across the stage carrying her with him. They floated gracefully across like leaves blown off a tree by fall winds. Eyes locked, the two were hypnotically entranced with each other, sharing a special and private moment.

More assignments later :)