Last Sunday I ventured out to Friendship Heights to visit Joy of Motion for the first time and experience their annual fall showcase, Dance Project. Nestled in the modest black-box/studio space known as The Jack Guidone Theater, Dance Project featured 13 different choreographers of various styles and talents.
What brought me to the showcase was a particular modern choreographer and a curiosity about the others. What made me keep my butt in the hard, metal chair was not the level of dancing but the sheer breadth of styles represented.
As a die-hard contemporary artist with all sorts of flatulent, idealistic notions about "pushing the art form forward" and only displaying "honest and necessary movement", I was slightly horrified by the contest atmosphere set up by Joy of Motion. Each choreographer was competing for 100 hours of free studio time and 50% off theatre rental (good things). Winners were to be determined by audience vote (hmmmm, okay, not unheard of in this day-in-age). But I do not attend competitions, I attend concerts (can you imagine my nose in the air?).
Okay, I could go on about how "the air of competition cheapens an event and audience experience by pitting choreographers against each other who should be collaborating to grow audiences for this least valued of art forms" and how it "damages the quality of piece chosen by the each choreographer" and "throws the audience off track in how they should be viewing and assessing/not assessing live art forms." Yes, I'm quoting the blog I'm itching but don't have time to write because I have papers to grade...
So I'll say this:
The first part of the concert got off to a rocky start with a mixed bag of styles that did not complement each other. There were also missing pieces (2-3 choreographers who elected only to perform Saturday night) and a haphazard mentioning of this fact that left about 30 people sitting around for an overly long intermission because they didn't realize that the choreographer listed wasn't about to perform and we were indeed in intermission. No announcement, no change in lights...nothing. I suggested someone announce this, but they were more comfortable having 5-8 individuals ask independently of each other and convey the message piece-meal to their friends and family.
I ain't mad at cha, I just want to know when I can pee.
Anyhow, there was also the perennial family members and friends leaving as their groups concluded performing even though 2/3rds of the concert was not yet complete. Hooo, boy. If you were my acquaintance, we'd have a talk about theater etiquette. I could talk about how this is related to the competition nature of the event, but I digress...
(All of this speaks to the casualness and comfort which people obviously feel with the establishment and the concert itself. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but again, can you picture my concert-going nose in the air? Just have a chuckle with me. I'm trying to unwind my tightly-wound sense of decorum here...)
Then the concert really took off and the energy noticeably picked up. Obviously chosen to perform further down the line-up for their polish and seniority, mentionable groups included RebollarDance and their gritty and ever-so-subtle tongue-in-cheek excerpt of GoodHurt, Delicious Lawn Gnomes and their highly polished mixture of street dance styles and comedy routine, and Piernas Locas Project for their palpable energy and engaging hardcore rap and hip hop styles.
Take-away, I would definitely check this concert out again to keep in touch with the companies that aren't in my normal air-nose concert circuit, but I'd definitely have to have a glass of wine before-hand so I don't mind all the casual comings and goings of this popular event.
Okay, I could go on about how "the air of competition cheapens an event and audience experience by pitting choreographers against each other who should be collaborating to grow audiences for this least valued of art forms" and how it "damages the quality of piece chosen by the each choreographer" and "throws the audience off track in how they should be viewing and assessing/not assessing live art forms." Yes, I'm quoting the blog I'm itching but don't have time to write because I have papers to grade...
So I'll say this:
The first part of the concert got off to a rocky start with a mixed bag of styles that did not complement each other. There were also missing pieces (2-3 choreographers who elected only to perform Saturday night) and a haphazard mentioning of this fact that left about 30 people sitting around for an overly long intermission because they didn't realize that the choreographer listed wasn't about to perform and we were indeed in intermission. No announcement, no change in lights...nothing. I suggested someone announce this, but they were more comfortable having 5-8 individuals ask independently of each other and convey the message piece-meal to their friends and family.
I ain't mad at cha, I just want to know when I can pee.
Anyhow, there was also the perennial family members and friends leaving as their groups concluded performing even though 2/3rds of the concert was not yet complete. Hooo, boy. If you were my acquaintance, we'd have a talk about theater etiquette. I could talk about how this is related to the competition nature of the event, but I digress...
(All of this speaks to the casualness and comfort which people obviously feel with the establishment and the concert itself. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but again, can you picture my concert-going nose in the air? Just have a chuckle with me. I'm trying to unwind my tightly-wound sense of decorum here...)
Then the concert really took off and the energy noticeably picked up. Obviously chosen to perform further down the line-up for their polish and seniority, mentionable groups included RebollarDance and their gritty and ever-so-subtle tongue-in-cheek excerpt of GoodHurt, Delicious Lawn Gnomes and their highly polished mixture of street dance styles and comedy routine, and Piernas Locas Project for their palpable energy and engaging hardcore rap and hip hop styles.
Take-away, I would definitely check this concert out again to keep in touch with the companies that aren't in my normal air-nose concert circuit, but I'd definitely have to have a glass of wine before-hand so I don't mind all the casual comings and goings of this popular event.
