student blog

a big, fat “Limón” / Erin

I want to write a positive dance review this year.  I really do.  It pains me to be critical about the first major dance company to appear at Hancher since the Flood of 2008.Luna Negra has claimed to set itself apart as a company in the last ten years by bringing a new richness to contemporary dance, blending Hispanic history with modern ideas and movement.

I wasn’t that impressed on Friday night. (cringe, ugh.)

Granted, the dancers in the company were fantastic.  The men in the company were particularly versatile and athletic (and cute!) and the women were powerful, with spectacular lines.  I got the pleasure of hanging out with two of the dancers after the show at our annual student reception and had a great time.

I just wish I could say that about the show.

The performance consisted of a new work by a female choreographer, a historical modern work by Jose Limón, and a fun piece celebrating the coming of age in Hispanic culture.  None of the pieces had a common theme at all, making it a very jarring performance from piece to piece.  Their newest piece in the program, Nube Blanco, was an intriguing and entertaining work.  Choreographically, it was challenging and thoughtful.  It combined traditional Hispanic movement, contemporary choreography, and tongue-in-cheek humor on many different levels, from the costuming to the vocal accentuations.

There is a Time, by Limón, is an arguably important work from one of the founders of modern dance.  However, a man behind me actually took a short phone call during this piece and I didn’t mind at all, when I usually would have turned around and given him the stink eye. Having danced in a Limón work, I appreciate the technicality and precision that his choreography requires.  But I really don’t enjoy watching most of his pieces. Quinceañera was a flashback to bad high school choreography, including a lot of “clever” moments that I felt like I had seen before.

For a company that is somewhat rebuilding, I hope Luna Negra will produce difficult and interesting works in years to come.  They’ve made some great dances in the past; they just weren’t displayed during this performance.  And I’ll wait pensively for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company next season.

Erin

“Q”ed up and “Q”ed out / Erin

For the average joe, a Broadway musical is the ideal type of performance to review.  The formula is as follows: amazing performers, award-winning music, great directors, and the whole gamut of spectacular lighting, costuming and set design.  There is little confusion about plot or hidden meanings behind the work, and they are generally sparkly, crowd pleasing shows.

Avenue Q definitely falls into this category.

However, this might be the most difficult review for me to write. Ever.

I’ve been working on this show since August.  And I’ve been really excited about it for 95% of the time.  If you don’t already know,Avenue Q is a Tony award-winning musical (including beating Wicked for Best Musical in 2004) and ranks in my top 5 favorite musicals list.

However, Avenue Q seriously tried to kill me.

I’m not sure what almost sent me over the edge in Hancher’s most aggressive marketing campaign ever.  The five karaoke contests at different venues, delivering care packages to UI’s Greek houses, contacting and re-contacting colleges around the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area about the show, sitting at residence halls passing out ramen and condoms (a great combination), postering every inch of Iowa City we could, begging various student groups for sponsorship, piecing together logistics last minute,  and manning a bus that delivered students to the show all played a part in me breaking down in tears 20 minutes prior to show time.

Ok, I apologize about the rampage.  It’s partially because I’m still catching up on my sleep after all of our crazy promotions.  I just want to make it clear that I like this show enough to do all of that.

When I was finally able to sit back and enjoy the show last Saturday, I was happily transported to Avenue Q in NYC.  I’d never seen the show live, and it was more hilarious and raunchy than I remembered.  I knew all the songs by heart (thank you, karaoke contests) and was content to hum along as puppets and humans interacted flawlessly on stage.  Especially poignant to those of us without a clear future or a “purpose” after graduation, I found myself being somewhat introspective during the show, even through puppets stripping and the occasional racial slurs.

The show was fantastic.  I won’t spoil it for y’all who didn’t pay attention to our ambitious marketing messages, but you really should try to catch a live performance (avenueqontour.com).  And I’m so very pleased to have worked on it, tears and sleepless nights included.

Now that my last Q-related work is done, I’m going to attempt to fill the Q sized hole in my life by breaking my coffee-sugar addiction and getting my homework done on time.  And maybe finding a new musical to work on…

Erin

groovy / Erin

Abraham Inc.  How do I begin to describe you?

As your resident dancer intern and critic, I’m slightly less comfortable reviewing an instrumental ensemble.   Don’t get me wrong, I took piano lessons for eight years and played trumpet for six so I’m not a complete stranger when it comes to instrumental music. 

But this performance was something totally foreign and new to me—a sound that a week later I’m still having a hard time describing.  Self-professed as a klezmer-funk dance party, Abraham Inc. somehow combines unrelated music genres to make an energetic and powerful show.  An electric mix of jazz, funk, hip hop, Yiddish influences and a big band look, this 10 member ensemble had a striking presence on stage. (Look at a picture of the group, you’ll see what I mean…)

Honestly, I was skeptical at first. The first song “Baleboste” confused me; I couldn’t understand what they were saying and I wasn’t sure whether they were speaking English or just had bad enunciation.  As the show went on, I became more accustomed to their off-beat grooves and sometimes lengthy improv solos.  It didn’t faze me when a rapper and an accordion were highlighted together during a song—I started to look forward to what crazy combination they’d show us next.  By the end of the show, I was bouncing in my seat and really enjoying this eclectic (and somewhat strange!) performance.

Abraham Inc. is packed with extremely talented artists, ranging from famous jazz musicians to rappers making the Billboard charts. David Krakauer, the star soloist of the group, has performed with groups such as the Kronos Quartet and the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra.  One of the founding members of the group, Krakauer amazed me song after song with his clarinet solos, including starting one piece with a two-minute trill on his instrument.  Fred Wesley, the trombone player, worked extensively with James Brown and is also one of the best in his field.  Most members of the group have long lists of accolades and high profile jobs in the music industry, showing how powerful this new fusion music can be.

Although I’m not sure Abraham Inc. will ever have their music played on a popular rap station, they are paving the way for new ideas for music collaboration.  Their show is accessible to a wide variety of ages and people with different music preferences.  Even if you don’t particularly like their music, the sheer talent and ingenuity of the group will make you appreciate their innovative sound and funky beats.

Keep grooving, Abraham Inc.  I’m excited to see what you’ll come up with next…

—Erin

Flap-Flop / Erin

Dear Iowa dance professors,

You officially have made me a dance snob.

I can’t help but critique most dance performances.  Due to my intense (but worthwhile!) choreography, production, dance theory and history classes, I’m constantly analyzing not only the performers’ capabilities, but also searching for recurring motifs within different works and watching for overarching themes throughout entire shows.  I make judgments on lighting, music choices, and costuming.  I’m usually quite pleased and inspired by the dance performances I’ve seen at Iowa.   And sometimes if there is a rock star performance, like Hubbard Street Dance Chicago or Alvin Ailey had in Hancher’s 2007-08 season, you might just make me sit in glowing rapture (sometimes with my mouth wide open), pining away to be on stage with the dancers.

Thank You, Gregory did not make me want to dust off my tap shoes in the slightest.

Generally speaking, tap dancing isn’t my strong point, but this show seriously fell short of my expectations.  The overall performance was sometimes hard to follow, with video montages interspersed with dance routines.  Even for an educated dancer like myself, it took me awhile to figure out during the first act that the dancers were mimicking famous tap dancers’ styles.  Transitions between numbers were jarring and I would have liked more distinct introductions to each era highlighted.

Dancers played multiple roles during the performance, including MCing, singing, and playing various instruments.  Sounds great right?  Gregory was a triple threat himself, so it makes sense that the dancers in his tribute would be too!  Instead most were mediocre at best at their additional roles.  It would have been better if they had hired tappers that could really groove…

There were some shining moments in the show.  Two of the male dancers did a cute rendition of classic vaudeville tap, trying to one-up each other, finally tapping with rollerskates on.  I found Joseph Webb, one of the featured dancers in the show to be extremely charismatic and probably the most talented dancer on the tour.  The male dancers were definitely stronger than the females, which is surprising in a field that is often exploding with females vying for a spot on stage (I speak from experience).  A couple of the women didn’t even look like professional dancers.  C’mon casting director, there are so many talented women dying for dance jobs.  It’s time to hold another audition.

 Gregory Hines is by far one of my favorite performers of all time.  The show just didn’t do him justice.  This was a great opportunity to educate audiences about the great tap dancers of the past, bonafide legends of dance unlike those goofballs seen on “Dancing with the Stars.”  It wasn’t a terrible performance in the least; it was just lacking in artistic direction and stellar choreography to really wow people and get them excited about this dwindling art form.

Thank You, Gregory: please take a hint from the source of your inspiration and work to be something greater.  He loved his art; you could see it any time he performed.  His deep love for tap needs to be captured in the show. It’s what Gregory would want, that I am completely sure.

A Master(eye)Piece / Erin

A rainbow of colors. A classroom of doctors. Hope in a world going dark.

Collaboration between arts departments does not happen nearly enough.   Eye Piece is a testament to how not only the arts, but other departments across the University can create a breathtaking performance that leaves you different than when you first walked into the theater.

Eye Piece was so powerful because I felt the stories told in the work were true, bringing gravity to the show.  The emotion and struggle relayed by the performers felt real, as if they were actually affected with sight problems. The use of phrases like “I see” and “Look here” took on new meaning in this performance, making me aware of how much I rely on my vision.  There were some lighter moments in the performance, including a slapstick scene between two janitors, which helped make the show less foreboding.

I was surprised by how the actors often broke the fourth wall, bringing attention to moments that would soon occur on stage or to signal a change in the act.  It brought a certain sense of humanity back to the performance, since I often felt transported to a different world.  The importance of light and darkness was highlighted throughout the show by creative lighting design and the use of nontraditional lighting (including flashlights!)  I also paid more attention to the use of sound during this performance, whether it was an accordion playing background music or the sound of chairs scraping across the stage.

Even with a runtime of 3 hours (including 2 intermissions), I was captivated by the entire performance. I was unimpressed with the actor who played the artist in the show, but otherwise I was thrilled by the writing, staging, set, and overall acting.  I also enjoyed seeing Rinde act in the performance.  He was a fringe character but had a subtle power, like he was controlling the performance from the wings.

There was a striking scene in Act 1 where two of the young doctors argued about the fusion between science and art. One doctor noted that to help patients, you must adhere to theories and scientific knowledge to find a cure.  The other thoughtfully replied “Being a doctor is an art form.  It’s something that you practice, but you must be open to surprise, to the unexpected outcome, to really give your patients hope.”

A truly powerful and unique performance, Eye Piece has the right balance of science and art to leave you pondering your own life for days after the performance.  I know I’m not seeing things the same way…

signed, sealed, delivered—SNC, I’m yours / Erin

I’ve always liked men who can sing. 

Before the cult-craze show Glee was even a concept, I was a show choir kid.  Admittedly, I was in it more for my dancing and performance abilities, but I always enjoyed singing as well.  My choir director was classically trained, so I received a solid vocal education and have a good ear for a talented vocalist.  And my girlfriends and I were avid fans (possibly stalkers, shhh!) of certain talented male soloists from other choirs that could make any woman in the audience swoon.

Definitely not your traditional a cappella group, with covers of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, “Single Ladies” by Beyonce, and “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Straight No Chaser blew me away.  Seriously, this was one of the best live shows I’ve seen in a long time.  There were quite a few moments I forgot that I was listening to an a cappella concert since the group, especially the basses, was so talented in creating the underlying rhythms.  They even had a horn section in one of their songs!  Although they had many crowd-pleasing songs, they also showed their vocal capabilities in difficult renditions of “Africa,” “Carol of the Bells,” and an un-miked version of “O Holy Night”.

 Yes, I may have checked the program to see if several of them were single…

I realized about halfway through the performance that I was sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting in anticipation for the next surprise in the show.  I wasn’t entertained solely by their vocal technique and dashing good looks, but I was delighted at how they engaged the audience.  They were constantly cracking jokes (two of them lost it during a solo) and had effective transitions between songs, including taking pictures of the audience and telling us to tag ourselves on their Facebook page.  My face hurt from laughing by the end of the performance, especially since they transitioned out of their semi-serious Christmas set with “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse.  Smooth…

Tyler Trepp, one of the tenors in SNC, stole the show as the hometown favorite.  Originally from Des Moines, he attended Indiana University and became the sixth music director of SNC at IU.  Gifted with a chorale boy’s perfect pitch, Trepp was met with a standing ovation after his solo in “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”  Cornfed breeds talent, that’s all I’ve got to say.

Not only can these men sing; they all have successful lives outside of the group.  Several have blossoming Broadway careers; others have careers reporting for ABC or are pursuing their graduate education.  Their cheesy, but effective minimalistic choreography added to the performance and always garnered chuckles from the audience, including myself.  And they looked great in their snappy black suits. Is there anything these guys can’t do?

(Sigh) I guess I’m still not out of my choir boy phase.

Check out their albums Christmas Cheers and Holiday Spirits at their website http://www.sncmusic.com/ or on iTunes. 

Definitely not David Copperfield / Erin

I’m not gonna lie, walking into the auditorium on Sunday afternoon, I had some pretty high expectations for Rob Lake.  Especially after watching movies like the Illusionist and the Prestige, I was excited to see some spectacular stunts that would leave me wanting to hang up my dancing shoes and enroll in Hogwarts School of Magic.

My cousin spent a summer in middle school trying to become a magician.  He got pretty good at the card tricks and pulling coins from behind your ears, but when it came to vaporizing canaries into thin air, that’s when the magic books started piling up with dust.  From his failure, I realized at a young age that becoming a top-notch magician is extremely difficult and takes years of practice. It’s especially hard for live performers in the 21st century because people are accustomed to dazzling special effects and have ridiculously short attention spans.   Wait, what was I writing about again….?

Rob Lake can do a decent canary trick and sawed quite a few people in half during the show.   I mean, he’s cute and all, and I’m sure the woman that got to dance with him is going to tell all her friends how charming and great he was. 

But a brilliant magician, he is not.

Much of the show was awkward tricks that seemed to be executed with not enough practice.  Apparatuses got stuck together, props were ripped, the show did not have a good flow.  The inexcusable hokey music was enough to make me want to run out during intermission, but accompanied with his cheesy dance moves and extra-white boyish grin, I was checking my watch every time the house lights came up (which was a lot!)

I have to give Lake credit, he was at least confident and somewhat entertaining on stage.  Some of his illusions bordered on challenging, but then again, I had seen them all before.  Plus, in a live performance I expect a magician to be grandiose and set the stage for action.  The kids in the crowd (which I gauge was 70% or so of the audience because of the constant screaming to go up on stage) seemed to think he was great.  So maybe my expectations were set too high.  I’d definitely recommend him for your kid’s next birthday party or maybe for a ladies bachelorette gig, if he didn’t mind stripping down a little while he did magic.  Though I worry his stripping might be as awkward as his show….

And with an Abracadabra! I will (hopefully) make this show disappear from Hancher’s seasons in the future.

Erin