paraphrase two pages essay

A Mixture of Different Dance Styles

I was very excited to be attending my very first event on campus, and mostly because it was a live performance; the dancers would be expressing their feelings and thoughts right before our eyes. As I entered the doors of the theatre I searched for my assigned seat and waited patiently for the concert to start. The lights were turned off and the theatre was dark, only the dancers’ shadows would reflect on the walls. I did not expect there to be a small break between every dance; I assumed there was only going to be intermission. I was also very surprised that there was only in total of eight pieces. However, the whole show was well-organized and the dancers were amazing. The dancers were in character the whole time, changing their body movements and facial expressions to change the feel or the mood of the dance. Every piece was unique because I felt like each song had a particular lesson or point it was trying to portray to the audience. There was a few dances that were difficult to understand, but I realized that every person has their own perspective at looking at things and we do not all see things the same. I may have liked a dance in particular and the person sitting next to me could probably disagree. The dances varied from romance to something a little more out of the ordinary, coffee. My two favorite dances were: “The Journey We Take Together” and “Fragments.”  

The first dance, “ De la Valse a l’Amour” was based on romance and the role of both women and men. The men would treat the woman with respect, treating their partner as if they were fragile. The music was very slow, almost like a melody. The movements were very slow and smooth, keeping the same pace as the music. Majority of the dance consisted of partners, keeping the overall theme of love; two human beings being emotionally connected to each other.

The second dance, “Chooser,” had a completely different feel, I could feel the tension and all the energy the dancer was giving off. Him running back and forth, looking as if her were lost, clearly showed that he was stressed, confused, and impatient. The title of this dance, “Chooser,” may also mean that he was trying to find the right path for himself. He was lost in his own mind and did not know who to listen to. The turns we would do on the floor meant that he was at his lowest point and was struggling to get up because every time he wanted to change, he fell to the floor over and over again. There was also many rapid movements, especially hand gestures. It was as if he was calling for help, fighting to survive. Long white drapes fell from the ceiling, at the beginning of the dance there seemed to be codes on them. He was unaware of what they were, he stared at them, trying to figure out what they meant. After all the suffering, tossing and turning, the letters started to appear again. However, this time it was in calligraphy format. He had finally found his identity, he now knew who he was. At first he felt out of place, fighting against society. His costume was a pair of white boxers, which white means purity and innocence. Often times we find ourselves fighting against society because it has created an image of how a person should act or look. This dance touches on the topic of human identity and finding our true selves.    

One of the dance that I enjoyed watching was, “The Journey We Take Together.” The title of the dance means that we are not here alone in this world, we do in fact have others who are willing to help us grow and support us through the good and bad times. Every person has their destiny, and everyone takes a certain path who they believe is best for them. The dancers where opponents and they were trying to avoid getting hurt. They were resistant to pain and tried protecting themselves from the evils of others.  The dancers used their hands as shields, not allowing negative vibes to reach them.

I also enjoyed watching “Fragments” because it focused on jealousy and hate. There were two groups who kept going at each other, trying to prove to be better than the other. The more they would bother, the more they were affecting each other. The dancers reached their lowest point of self-esteem and were struggling in finding out who they were and where they stood. There was many floor work to let us know they were struggling and show their weakness. This dance showed how hate does not bring any happiness, at the end of the day it makes you feel even worse about yourself for making another individual feel less or simply saying a mean comment to someone else. Throughout the dance, there was a mixture of sustained and rapid movements. At the beginning of the dance, specific movement made it seemed as if they were getting in fights with one another, throwing punches and tantrums. The dancers realized that after all the fighting and arguments, they felt worse and all were in need of help. They apologized to each other and they tried their best to help the others get up and keep fighting. There was a small ramp on the left-hand side of the stage, and their goal was for all of them to make it to the top, signifying their self-esteem reaching the limit.

The two dances I chose to compare are “Fragments” and “In Need of Coffee.” Both dances made me feel like there was tension between two groups. “Fragments” consisted of two groups whereas “In Need of Coffee”  the entire class was against the boy who was different from the rest. The class underestimated what the boy could do and at the end he ended up proving them wrong. He danced with a passion and never got tired, but his classmates would whine and would want to be taking breaks all the time. It was really noticeable that there was a sense of competition. Overall, I enjoyed going to the concert and I was able to observe the different styles of dance performed that night.