12th annual Fear No Art (or: yes, i am still alive ;) )
okay all... first of all, i know i've been gone from LJ for like, 2 months because of work and rehearsals and life in general.
so... yeah. sorry about that.
trying to be better. :)
but a break in the normal "catching you up on dawn's random life" to bring you the annual...
*insert fanfare here*
12th Annual Fear No Art preview
it's going to be a bit abbreviated, since we were supposed to be allowed to watch tonight too, but chattering dancers screwed us out of that privilege. so it's just based on what i saw last night. i will try to be concise. (and nice. ;) )
Fireys
choreographed by Matthew Kinney
this one is cool... the main dancer was missing last night, but the basic idea is a young girl waking up from a dream and imagining all these creatures coming to life in her dream. i'm looking forward to seeing the final product... on the DVD. ;)
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Kathrine Villaruz & Vicente Leyba
despite being listed as being by josh groban and jordan sparks, those of us musicians know the truth: simon & garfunkle!!! :) they do fairly well, if kathrine will learn how to cross the stage and not turn her back on the audience. her stage presence has gotten so much better since the mid-semester show, when she kept grabbing at the hem of her shirt while she sang. props to vicente for the key work, too.
Life's Mystery
choreographed by Ivan Flores
this one totally makes me think of biblical old testament egypt. :) not sure if it's supposed to, but it does. (so says the musician. what do i know. :) ) awesome work with a veil/scarf on one of the dancers, including this one move where it's wrapped across her shoulders and around each arm with other dancers on either side tugging her this way and that.
Alexithymia
choreographed by Katrina Boi
music composed & performed by Stephen Boi
katrina wasn't there last night, but i did see her dance during the mid-semester show, and i liked it. plus, hello, stephen's piano playing?!? yeah, i get a complex. :) he's good!!! i'm always in awe of people who can play classical style music really well---especially something that involved---but when they can write it too? wow. just... wow. :) big points to him. if you go for no other piece (besides mine, of course ;) ), go to hear this guy play keys. sickening. :)
Sweet Embrace
choreographed by Alexa Velasco
uhmmmm... i don't remember much of how this one went, because i was off in the wings for this one trying to keep my singer warm and calm. :) so i guess i can't really weigh in much until i see the DVD. :)
Make You Feel My Love
Tina Miritello
i'm accompanying tina on this piece, a nice remake of Bob Dylan's original version. she's come a long way since our first rehearsal, learning to project better, use the mic, and not be afraid of the large space in front of her. we're also using a violinist, which adds an awesome level to the piece. tina's really sweet, and i know she's worked hard on this piece. i'm pretty proud of her. :)
Articulation
choreographed by Rie Monique Cherie Franklin
this piece is very cool, especially considering the dancers learned this last friday. :) apparently the first "pose" is supposed to be reminiscent of the shape of the female pelvic bone. (jud was disappointed that the coccyx part was assigned to someone else. ;) ) i like a lot of the following, and this one move where the line grows and shrinks. wish i could be in the house again tonight to see it.
Like the Earth
Nash
okay, this guy? is pure awesome sauce. he's a rapper, doing it "unplugged." (i don't know what the proper term is when someone is rapping without a back beat. *shrugs*) he has terrific time and fantastic rhyme, plus a good stage presence. which is crucial. so you want to come to see him, too. :)
Red Light Violation
choreographed by Jeannine Potter
this piece is great! very sassy. the attitude makes me smile. especially this one dancer, phillip, who's apparently like 22, but totally looks like he's 15. the guy (i have to resist calling him "kid," even though i technically could because he is younger than i am ;) ) has so much enthusiasm you just can't help but grin when you watch him dance. alana also has a kick-ass solo. great piece, good tone to end the first half.
(intermission)
(music by TK Proposal)
The Love that Fills Up in My Soul
composed / performed by TK Proposal
i only heard half of their last song because i was changing when they started playing, but they have a nice mellow pop sound. and unlike last year's intermission / set 2 opener band, no one's arguing over db levels this year. huzzah. :) i like. and not just because i don't go deaf. :)
Zon'd
choreographed by Lamaiya Lancaster
uhh... do i remember what this one was like? i think so... they were in jumpsuits. i think. :) anything lamaiya does is awesome. so even though i don't remember specifics, i know it was good. (hey, don't shoot me for not being as thorough as usual. if the chatty dancers hadn't been so, well, chatty in the hall yesterday, we could have watched tonight and i would have been more comprehensive. :-P)
Egression
choreographed by Judson Gambill
well you have to figure i'm going to be a little biased on this one. <3
this is a great piece depicting the breakdown of a relationship. pay attention to how she pulls him in and then keeps pushing him away. my favorite move is towards the last third when she's windmilling her arms to get away and he keeps trying to pull her back to him. obviously i've watched as this dance has evolved, so i know more about it than the average viewer. there's a certain raw quality to it, some jud attributes to the fact that the final bits weren't set until their lighting rehearsal on sunday. but i think they can use that to further the tone of the whole piece. i wish i could watch this piece every night. i want to see how it grows this week as everything really starts falling into final places. maybe i can hide in the wings. :)
I Am Free
Jennifer Orlino
same girl who did alecia keyes back in 2008, now singing an a capella mariah carey song. didn't hear it last night because i was going to get ready for my piece, but heard her at the mid-semester show, and she's still good. :)
Garnished by Others
choreographed by Alana Johnson
saw this one from the wings, so i can't be completely objective, but what i saw i liked. :) plus, it's alana. who is one of the dancers who actually talks to me now. :) so, extra points to her.
Fallen
composed / performed by Dawn Christine Crowther
clearly you know my opinion on this piece/performer. ;) i don't think any piece i've written lately has been as strong as "You Are" was last year, but there's a lot of heart in this piece. originally i auditioned on "when you go," a slow, sad piece. then when i wrote "Fallen," it just seemed like this should be this year's FNA piece. i'm hoping the piano string is fixed by tonight. the constant *sproiiiiiing* noise when i hit certain lower chords was a bit distracting. :)
Fearlessly Enduring Grace
choreographed by Katrina Boi
missed half of this one because of getting offstage, but i like the nice combination of fluid ballet-ish moves and modern moves. and cale. :) he's developed into such a fantastic dancer. i made sure to find him and let him know his dancing has really blossomed.
Element
Nash
piece #2 from the rapper. shorter than the first, but no less amazing.
Zero
choreographed by Lamaiya Lancaster
hot. i mean, it's a lamaiya piece. what do you expect? :)
so there you have it. a slightly truncated (and occasionally biased ;) ) review of the 12th Annual Fear No Art show. based on one night. :) ah well, like i said, if people had behaved more, i could have watched more of the show tonight. still going to try to sneak in so i can watch jud's piece from the wings each night. eric may still be kind of frosty with me (this is what happens when you go out with your production manager the year prior and it doesn't work out *shrugs*) but if i'm behaving, i find it hard to believe he'd be bitchy enough to kick me out.
and if he is?
then i'll go over to the other side. ;)
so... yeah. sorry about that.
trying to be better. :)
but a break in the normal "catching you up on dawn's random life" to bring you the annual...
*insert fanfare here*
12th Annual Fear No Art preview
it's going to be a bit abbreviated, since we were supposed to be allowed to watch tonight too, but chattering dancers screwed us out of that privilege. so it's just based on what i saw last night. i will try to be concise. (and nice. ;) )
Fireys
choreographed by Matthew Kinney
this one is cool... the main dancer was missing last night, but the basic idea is a young girl waking up from a dream and imagining all these creatures coming to life in her dream. i'm looking forward to seeing the final product... on the DVD. ;)
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Kathrine Villaruz & Vicente Leyba
despite being listed as being by josh groban and jordan sparks, those of us musicians know the truth: simon & garfunkle!!! :) they do fairly well, if kathrine will learn how to cross the stage and not turn her back on the audience. her stage presence has gotten so much better since the mid-semester show, when she kept grabbing at the hem of her shirt while she sang. props to vicente for the key work, too.
Life's Mystery
choreographed by Ivan Flores
this one totally makes me think of biblical old testament egypt. :) not sure if it's supposed to, but it does. (so says the musician. what do i know. :) ) awesome work with a veil/scarf on one of the dancers, including this one move where it's wrapped across her shoulders and around each arm with other dancers on either side tugging her this way and that.
Alexithymia
choreographed by Katrina Boi
music composed & performed by Stephen Boi
katrina wasn't there last night, but i did see her dance during the mid-semester show, and i liked it. plus, hello, stephen's piano playing?!? yeah, i get a complex. :) he's good!!! i'm always in awe of people who can play classical style music really well---especially something that involved---but when they can write it too? wow. just... wow. :) big points to him. if you go for no other piece (besides mine, of course ;) ), go to hear this guy play keys. sickening. :)
Sweet Embrace
choreographed by Alexa Velasco
uhmmmm... i don't remember much of how this one went, because i was off in the wings for this one trying to keep my singer warm and calm. :) so i guess i can't really weigh in much until i see the DVD. :)
Make You Feel My Love
Tina Miritello
i'm accompanying tina on this piece, a nice remake of Bob Dylan's original version. she's come a long way since our first rehearsal, learning to project better, use the mic, and not be afraid of the large space in front of her. we're also using a violinist, which adds an awesome level to the piece. tina's really sweet, and i know she's worked hard on this piece. i'm pretty proud of her. :)
Articulation
choreographed by Rie Monique Cherie Franklin
this piece is very cool, especially considering the dancers learned this last friday. :) apparently the first "pose" is supposed to be reminiscent of the shape of the female pelvic bone. (jud was disappointed that the coccyx part was assigned to someone else. ;) ) i like a lot of the following, and this one move where the line grows and shrinks. wish i could be in the house again tonight to see it.
Like the Earth
Nash
okay, this guy? is pure awesome sauce. he's a rapper, doing it "unplugged." (i don't know what the proper term is when someone is rapping without a back beat. *shrugs*) he has terrific time and fantastic rhyme, plus a good stage presence. which is crucial. so you want to come to see him, too. :)
Red Light Violation
choreographed by Jeannine Potter
this piece is great! very sassy. the attitude makes me smile. especially this one dancer, phillip, who's apparently like 22, but totally looks like he's 15. the guy (i have to resist calling him "kid," even though i technically could because he is younger than i am ;) ) has so much enthusiasm you just can't help but grin when you watch him dance. alana also has a kick-ass solo. great piece, good tone to end the first half.
(intermission)
(music by TK Proposal)
The Love that Fills Up in My Soul
composed / performed by TK Proposal
i only heard half of their last song because i was changing when they started playing, but they have a nice mellow pop sound. and unlike last year's intermission / set 2 opener band, no one's arguing over db levels this year. huzzah. :) i like. and not just because i don't go deaf. :)
Zon'd
choreographed by Lamaiya Lancaster
uhh... do i remember what this one was like? i think so... they were in jumpsuits. i think. :) anything lamaiya does is awesome. so even though i don't remember specifics, i know it was good. (hey, don't shoot me for not being as thorough as usual. if the chatty dancers hadn't been so, well, chatty in the hall yesterday, we could have watched tonight and i would have been more comprehensive. :-P)
Egression
choreographed by Judson Gambill
well you have to figure i'm going to be a little biased on this one. <3
this is a great piece depicting the breakdown of a relationship. pay attention to how she pulls him in and then keeps pushing him away. my favorite move is towards the last third when she's windmilling her arms to get away and he keeps trying to pull her back to him. obviously i've watched as this dance has evolved, so i know more about it than the average viewer. there's a certain raw quality to it, some jud attributes to the fact that the final bits weren't set until their lighting rehearsal on sunday. but i think they can use that to further the tone of the whole piece. i wish i could watch this piece every night. i want to see how it grows this week as everything really starts falling into final places. maybe i can hide in the wings. :)
I Am Free
Jennifer Orlino
same girl who did alecia keyes back in 2008, now singing an a capella mariah carey song. didn't hear it last night because i was going to get ready for my piece, but heard her at the mid-semester show, and she's still good. :)
Garnished by Others
choreographed by Alana Johnson
saw this one from the wings, so i can't be completely objective, but what i saw i liked. :) plus, it's alana. who is one of the dancers who actually talks to me now. :) so, extra points to her.
Fallen
composed / performed by Dawn Christine Crowther
clearly you know my opinion on this piece/performer. ;) i don't think any piece i've written lately has been as strong as "You Are" was last year, but there's a lot of heart in this piece. originally i auditioned on "when you go," a slow, sad piece. then when i wrote "Fallen," it just seemed like this should be this year's FNA piece. i'm hoping the piano string is fixed by tonight. the constant *sproiiiiiing* noise when i hit certain lower chords was a bit distracting. :)
Fearlessly Enduring Grace
choreographed by Katrina Boi
missed half of this one because of getting offstage, but i like the nice combination of fluid ballet-ish moves and modern moves. and cale. :) he's developed into such a fantastic dancer. i made sure to find him and let him know his dancing has really blossomed.
Element
Nash
piece #2 from the rapper. shorter than the first, but no less amazing.
Zero
choreographed by Lamaiya Lancaster
hot. i mean, it's a lamaiya piece. what do you expect? :)
so there you have it. a slightly truncated (and occasionally biased ;) ) review of the 12th Annual Fear No Art show. based on one night. :) ah well, like i said, if people had behaved more, i could have watched more of the show tonight. still going to try to sneak in so i can watch jud's piece from the wings each night. eric may still be kind of frosty with me (this is what happens when you go out with your production manager the year prior and it doesn't work out *shrugs*) but if i'm behaving, i find it hard to believe he'd be bitchy enough to kick me out.
and if he is?
then i'll go over to the other side. ;)