Bryttni Pugh

Coyle

DANC 2209-001

1 December 2015

Fall Dance Concert Critique

The organized chaos within Melissa Coyles Fury evinced the tempestuous nature of a

storm. Moments of serenity emerged throughout the ballet to contrast, creating a sense of

uncertainty. The twelve dancers evidently conveyed the images of natural disasters through

elements such as space, energy, levels, sharp and unhurried movement qualities, and formations;

the accompanying lighting, music, and costumes enhanced the appearance. The pointe-based

work was filled with beauty and imagery that easily captivated the attention of the audience.

Dancers constantly entered and exited the stage as a whole or in groups and swirled

around each other and the space to create different formations. The swirling sensation could

represent the wild state a storm brings forth. For instance, the performers delightfully ran around

one another, like a hurricane, with their arms extended beyond their side as if the pressure of the

wind has been applied. During chaine turns, one arm would be curved in front of the body and

the other in the back to construct the idea of a tornado. The eye of the storm was symbolized

through the only male dancer because others circled around him, he was the centre of the group,

and he was the tallest. Additionally, he led the group into the motions of ocean waves: the

danseur contracted forward, swept his arms to a high level, and gradually floated them down and

walked backwards whilst three females at a time came through with the same movement. A

female dancer would occasionally partner with him to calm the storm.
 The persistent contrast between calmness and fury was conveyed through the lighting,

music, and costumes. The females wore gray and white tie-dyed dresses that were layered at the

bottom, and the male wore a gray and white tie-dyed shirt and gray leggings. The dark and

patchy pattern symbolized cumulonimbus clouds and disarray. Their pointe shoes were even

dulled to avoid sheen and a sense of sunlight. The lighting within the piece was soft during areas

of calmness, shading a portion of each dancer. One could note the state of tranquility not only by

the fluid or joyful movement but by the light blue or deep blue background. The music by Soon

Hee Newbold also reached a slow tempo and had a melodic sound.

For areas of fury redness appeared in the background, and the stage illumed brighter. The

transition of the lights to this chaotic state was quite precise along with the sharp movement. For

example, the performers steadily extended to arabesque, and, as they went from pli to relev,

the lights became brighter and the music increased in speed. Nearest the end of the piece, the

sharpest movements involved the arms. There was a fair amount of circular motion during jumps

and when the body was mostly stationary. If the body was still, the emphasis would be on the

upper limbs that created straight lines; perhaps this represented the lighting bolts.

Ones mood could certainly be confused throughout the ballet because of the switches in

intensity. However, the finale distinctly elicited feelings of hope and enlightenment through the

uplift in the violins and the happiness shown on the dancers countenances. An audience member

might even feel changes within his or her heart rate due to the shifts in tempo.

Although ballets are usually seen as either pieces of beautiful footwork or pieces with

great stories, Coyles Fury manages to incorporate both concepts originally. There was no need

for characters or a direct tale in this strong and dramatic piece. The dance was rather interpretive

and illustrated a storm through the performers and the accompanying elements of the work.