Black Grace
I went to see the dance production Black Grace last Thursday, and I thought it was incredible. The first half was extremely fast-paced and upbeat; I was out of breath just watching them dance and run around for a solid hour straight. The second half portrayed a message, about religious persecution and I thought that they did this brilliantly. All throughout the second half they would walk by with large puzzle pieces with images on them, and at the very end of the performance they walked the puzzle pieces together so that we were able to see the full picture of children.
Personally, I found the first half to be more enjoyable because I was able to interpret the dances how I wanted, but the second half basically told you what each scene was about. For example, when they had the pews set up this signified that they were in the church and it did not leave as much room for your imagination to interpret their movements how you wanted. Of course, when you are trying to tell a story or portray a message, sometimes you have to give the audience these hints (the pews) to keep them on track with the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the piece and I will be looking up more performances that are held at this specific place. It’s beginning to amaze me how much goes on in the city that I have ben missing out on for the first 2 and half years that I have been attending Temple. I believe that I will taking the subway rides into center city more often next year to experience more of the art that is available to me.
This photo was taken from inside the Annenberg Center:
