Abegail Jennings Intro to Modern Dance Live Dance Performance

Building a Legacy
Repertory Dance Theatre presents Legacy October 3-5, 2013 at the Rose Wagner Theatre in Salt Lake City, UT. Repertory Dance Company along with 13 dancers from BYU features exclusive works by Jose Limon, Doris Humphrey, Ted Shawn, Bill Evans, and Zeeva Cohen. This performance was a very passionate, emotional and dramatic look into the supreme art of modern dancing. Although the whole performance was breathtaking I very much fell in love with, Two Ecstatic Themes, choreographed by Doris Humphrey. From the beginning of the dance it took me into a trance which kept me on the edge of my seat the entire performance. There was so much passion used in portraying to me the feeling of loss. Being a solo performance I was very impressed how the dancer took me into her soul and kept me there throughout the routine. The way that she moved her body to display the pain she was feeling it was as if someone had ripped out her heart. Moving throughout the floor using every inch of her body from rotating her head, arching her back, letting her shoulders fall limply to the ground, the steadiness and control of her lower body. Every passage spoke to me more concrete then any dialogue ever could have. The elegance of the simple but compelling beauty of the flowing white dress made

the dancer illustrate the gentleness and frailty of the human heart. The beauty of positioning all the different elements to form a whole piece was remarkable. Where do you begin to put into words the exceptional creation of Miss Brevis? This dance clearly painted the picture of perseverance during a time of severe hardship. Every dancer in this routine clearly defined a certain role in creating a magical piece through the use of time, space and shape. Relating to the dancers through the use of expression in all forms such as the costumes they were bland not a lot of color blue, grey, and white made me feel depression and sadness. Through the facial expression I felt humble, determined souls ready to do whatever they needed to make it through the tragedy they were in. The music was another element that created despair. It was deep and secretive which made me feel fear and sorrow. Their body movement also gave the feeling of desolation. The way they used long, drawn out shape and covered the stage as if in crisis produced the feeling of urgency. As the dance continued I perceived a turning point to where hope had begun. I felt the dance turn a new leaf and as a community of artists rallied together to bring happiness and hope to the otherwise dark situation. Even without changing costumes or music tone these amazing dancers were able to expose to the audience a revolution through the movement of the body. By merely joining hands and creating a circle represented the sense of unity and power in which they were able to overcome any obstacle. The beauty of this performance was very much an unforgettable experience and I will definitely return for future performances as well as recommend RDT to my friends and family.