Saturday night I went to see Dorrance Dance at the Byhnam Theatre in Pittsburgh. I was impressed by the great turnout for the show. Also the enthusiasm of the crowd was impressive. I noticed that the audience seemed to applaud after every small section of dancing. Although I agreed with the impressive level of talent of the dancers I was curious about why the audience chose to respond in such a manner. I think it was because the dancers were making percussive noises with their feet and the audience members wanted to join them with their hands.
There were two sections of the evening. The first was without background music which seemed to highlight how the tap dancers used their own bodies as instruments. The second half employed a band and the tappers integrated the movements and themes of their movements to the music being played. Both sections seemed to highlight story, character and relationship which made me think about the relationship of this form of dance to theatre. It was interesting how this chorepgrapher played with that element of this dance form and also turned the traditional aspects of it on its head at times exploring more abstract elements of movement. One dancer in particular who seemed to use hip hop as well as modern dance styles stood out to me in the performance.
There were two sections of the evening. The first was without background music which seemed to highlight how the tap dancers used their own bodies as instruments. The second half employed a band and the tappers integrated the movements and themes of their movements to the music being played. Both sections seemed to highlight story, character and relationship which made me think about the relationship of this form of dance to theatre. It was interesting how this chorepgrapher played with that element of this dance form and also turned the traditional aspects of it on its head at times exploring more abstract elements of movement. One dancer in particular who seemed to use hip hop as well as modern dance styles stood out to me in the performance.