The week in review: This week we explored the work of Lar Lubovitch. On Monday, we started learning the opening circle to Concerto 622. On Wednesday, we had company member Brian McGinnis teach a master class. With Brian, we learned a piece from Mirimba, Lar's work to the music of Philip Glass. On Friday, we ran through Mirimba again and fleshed out the opening circle to Concerto 622 with the 400 level class joining us. The Lubovitch Company performs Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Before each performance, there is the pre-show lecture that you are required to attend. All these exposures provide alot of entry in the work of this choreographer..jpg)
With all of these entry points into this work, please write a coherent analysis with a beginning, middle and summary of your learning experience with the Lubovitch work. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. How would you describe Lar's choreography. How did Lar's work feel in your body? What did you learn from seeing the company perform? What did you learn from seeing professional dancers perform choreography that you yourself have learned? What did you learn in the pre-show lecture or from lectures in class that expanded your experience of the performance? What will you remember most about this learning experience?
*Reminder: this writing assignment is worth 10% of your grade.
This was my first experience with learning Modern repertoire. It was so rewarding to go see a concert and hear about the works and performances of a company and have some (albeit vague) physical notion of what the work and movement feels like in the body. I found myself following along a little in my head when watching 622 – it was so fun for a moment or two to know where these organic shapes were flowing to!
ReplyDeleteOn that note, I really loved the way Lar's choreography felt in my body. The master class on Wednesday was challenging at some points for me, but I found the material relatively easy to internalize and 'just dance,' something I've been working toward all quarter. Especially during the last combination that we did (I wish we'd had more time for that!), I felt like the sequence was flowing from me comfortably enough that I could throw myself over and under the curves and contours – it was a little like flying! I feel like I might have unlocked something that afternoon and I hope I can apply the same release and faith in my future learning/dancing.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the sense of community that last week brought. Faculty, visitors, and the 400 level class joined us to learn and dance. It was so nice to share the space and move with people that I often see in the hallways, but rarely get a chance to interact with. Getting to take class with these groups of people also helps give me an example of what I can strive for, but also helped close some gaps in terms of relating to one another or feeling connected to the department in general.
What a great experience!
~kristi krein
The Lar Lubovitch performance last weekend was absolutely amazing. While this comes from a personal opinion, I think concrete understanding of the choreography before viewing the performance. Having learned the choreography and heard about Lubovitch and the company before hand greatly impacted my viewing experience. I have five years of experience performing modern and almost 12 performing ballet, even with this experience, I know it is only and ounce of insight on the true experience of touring with a professional company. Nonetheless, watching this performance made me miss everything about performing, from the long hours of rehearsals to the cheering audience when the curtain’s close is delayed for one last bow.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the master class on Wednesday. While it was physically demanding, the choreography itself was relatively easy to pick up. I especially enjoyed the Mirimba. When we were first learning it, I picked up the base or plateau very easily. I was thinking there has to be more to this when Brian McGinnis started to explain the actual set up of the movement. It felt so natural even though it was somewhat confusing to keep track of what count you were on when. It felt so satisfying the first time we did the combination in separate groups and I was able to make it through without stopping and no major mistakes.
The circular beginning of Concerto 622 was so beautiful in the performance. I was completely amazed by the dancers musicality and way of filling space in the circular patterns. The choreography circled in every way possible around in the big group and as individuals turning and walking around each other. We discussed in class the image of the dancers holding sparklers and making shapes, those circles were very interesting to watch, but the circles seen in the choreography also amazed me. Watching from the balcony, I could see the circles and lines formed by multiple dancers and not just the ones made by individual’s movement. On that same dance, I was so moved by the men’s duet, not particularly by the choreography or by the fact that it was too men, but the connection that was so obviously visible between them. It is always really annoying to me when dancing becomes about the showy things such as lifts and big jumps, even really smooth choreography the dancing can cause lifts to look overly showy. In this duet I never expected even the bigger lifts, the two men were so in sync it seemed like the lifts just happened. When they were walking on and off, it was like you could see a visible connection between their fingertips reaching toward each other.
When learning the circular opening to Concerto 622 I felt like I picked up the choreography relatively easy and was able to throw myself into it. The ballet base really fit my comfort zone, but at the same time the musicality and far reaching lines were a challenge I wanted to over come. I felt like I was able to turn the combination into muscle memory and forget about thinking almost right away. It was amazing to be able to think about lines and performing and get out of my head for a little bit.
The experience of learning Lar Lubovitch’s choreography in class revealed the intensity of the technique behind their movement. Also, the difficulty of being right and together with other dancers while dancing was easily observed while trying to dance in a circle while worrying about choreography and technique. I was so inspired by their ability to perform and connect with each other while dancing as a group. By the end of the performance I wanted to be on stage again.
~Caitlin Bannan
Experiencing Lubovitch as a participator and spectator has been an incredible experience. Lar Lubovitch’s choreography is beautiful in its extensions and floating energy. At many moments, the energy can be felt leaving the dancers' fingertips and other endpoints so deeply it is almost visible. Watching the performance was like experiencing a moment one would wish to repeat over and over. Each of the pieces performed captured the aesthetics of what the heart expects to feel and the eye expects to see in dance. Lubovitch’s dancers performed lovely circles with intriguing under and over curves. His choreography incorporated movements of different size and speed in an amazingly energetic way. Lifts, Leaps and jumps performed were incredibly impressive (the male duet was especially noteworthy). Dancers danced with a near perfect combination of athleticism and grace. There was a feeling that they were capturing the exact mood that Lubovitch envisioned when creating these pieces. Lubovitch’s work contains very pleasing combinations of modern and ballet elements. It was wonderful to see this mix blending into such pretty choreography. He also incorporates a lot of different combinations of dancers. There were partnerships of male and male, partnerships of female and female, partnerships of male and female, and group performances ranging from two to eighteen dancers. As said previously, there were amazing jumps, lifts, and leaps; but sometimes the most moving moments came from just the delicate touch of two hands or an arm slowly being put around another dancer.
ReplyDeleteComparing my personal experience of Lubovitch choreography in class with that performed on stage was a little frustrating. While it was challenging and exciting dancing in class, my abilities so pale in comparison that it feels rediculous to even think about comparing. Struggling with getting the steps down gets in the way of my feeling and expressing the emotions of the choreography. This does not seem to be a problem with the performers. Understanding counting and timing is especially difficult, so working on this is good, but also not so good, because it takes away from just feeling the emotions and movements. Watching the performance, there never seemed to be any concentrated effort of counting by the dancers; they just seemed to be effortlessly in sync.
Some people were saying the felt that Lubavitch’s choreography is too technical and does not allow for any moments of improvisation. If a dancer makes a mistake one would notice it. Personally, it was amazing to see everyone so well coordinated. They were great dancers showing their great talent.
Actually, their amazing talent was kind of discouraging at first, because it is hard to imagine ever being able to reach that level of skill. Even if the movements were learned, performing them with such ease and perfection seems unattainable. When leaving the performance, the thought that trying to perform these pieces would be an insult to Lubovitch crossed my mind, but this thought was quickly thrown out. It is easy to become too hard on oneself and not give credit to one’s improvements and ability. This is something that interferes with allowing myself to dance freely, and dancing with emotion and freedom has become too important to me to let my inhibitions get in the way of my progress in this area. Thinking back just one year ago made me realize how much better a dancer I have already become, so the future is open to even greater improvements. This self-help talk with myself led me to embrace and enjoy working on Lubavitch even more on the Friday after watching the performance. While being the perfect embodiment of a Lubavitch dancer may be a lofty goal, working towards it is fun.
Learning about the differences from being a dancer of the company in 1987 to now was another piece of information in thinking about the performance. Knowing that the performance viewed required precise technique and in this class we work so much on finding our own way, made me wonder if the company was less intense and more free flowing in 1987. It also made me view it from a different perspective. There are so many ways to express modern dance. Lubavitch expresses a technically flowing energy that is lovely. Other performers express raw emotions mixed with surges of improvisational moves. The combinations, techniques, and emotions are endless. It is fascinating and inspiring. Within modern dance, one can discover themselves continually, which is the main discovery made so far through these experiences with Lubavitch.
Seeing the Lar Lubovitch company perform at Meany Hall on Thursday, February 5, 2009, was a wonderful and enlightening experience. Having prior information, history, and movement instruction based on or about the company before seeing them perform allowed me to experience the show through a different lens than I usually would. Learning some of the movement and then seeing it on stage also helped me to understand what it might feel like performing on a stage, with such beautiful movement vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteExperiencing Lar Lubovitch from many different viewpoints- learning parts of his work, seeing it performed, and learning about the history and background of the company gave me a good sense of the dance style, and about how the experience might be in the company. From the beginning work, learning the opening circle to Concerto 622, I could feel and understand the circular patterns of Lar’s choreography. As explained to us in class, the circles are very important in his work, and this was even more emphasized and coherent for me as we watched the duet for two males, and then learned it briefly. Not only are there circular patterns and formations, but there are many circular body design aspects, and choreographic circles within each dance. Whether it was in the arms, the hands, the formation, or the pathway of your head or any part of your body, the importance of circles was evident in his choreography.
Having learned Concerto 622 before seeing the company perform it was an experience that helped me realize just how exhausting and exhilarating it must be to be on stage, performing those movements, along with the rest of the evening-long performance. The phrase or section which we learned was not too difficult to learn, but just learning it and perfecting it did take quite awhile, especially when compared to the amount of material and time that it would take to learn the entire show. Just understanding the movements and knowing how it felt for me to try it, and then seeing it combined with so much more dance really helped me make a connection between the dance and dancers. Personally, the movement felt quite natural and flowing, with arms and legs moving together in comfortable ways, that seemed to make sense to my body. The steps are essential in Lars’ work, which makes it different than what we have been working on in class, so this was a slight challenge because I wanted to gracefully execute the movements, but I would mess up the steps from time to time. I especially had trouble remembering the footwork and movements to the beginning of Concerto 622, which we learned on Friday. This may have been because we learned it so quickly, but it made me realize how precise each movement was. The music helped with this, however, because there were cues in it which helped give it a time structure. The attention to exact and specific steps in Lars’ choreography was evident to me during the performance. In class someone mentioned that if even one person was off time, or forgot a detail of the movement, then it would stick out like a sore thumb. The fact that I did not see this happen was amazing and just added to how beautiful the dance was. Seeing the exact movements, perfectly complimenting the music and vice versa showed the aesthetic and vision of Lar Lubovitch to me, and the importance of hitting each movement and beat perfectly.
Learning Concerto 622 beforehand and seeing the short video of it and the male duet definitely changed my experience of watching the performance itself. With preconceived ideas about what it would be like, I was almost shocked seeing the second piece, Jangle: Four Hungarian Dances, which was much different than I thought it would be. The flexed feet and more rigid movements- stag leaps, jerky motions, and different head angles were all very different from the piece we learned and from what we saw on the video. However, after the initial surprise of the very different aesthetic, the attention to circles and perfect technique shown through and helped me understand it within Lars’ aesthetic.
The pre-show lecture gave insight into the company’s history, both new and old. The movement was explained as “…waves of energy flowing on the stage,” (Louis Gervais), and also as feeling organic, which I definitely felt when learning it. With this knowledge, and knowledge about Lar himself, I felt that I was better equipped or excited to see the show than others that I have seen. With background knowledge, there is an understanding and excitement about what is to come based on the things you know. I think that working with Bryan McGinnis also made the show exciting, because the class that he taught was what I would expect the level of dance to be in order to audition for a company of such caliber. Also, just seeing him dance in the studio got me excited to see what he would be doing on stage, and this experience made me “feel” more easily how he felt, because there was a more personal connection with a dancer. This changed the way I watched as well, because I would focus on his dance more at times, especially when he first came onto the stage, because I wanted to see how different or similar he looked dancing on the stage as opposed to in the studio.
From this entire experience I learned some very important things. First of all I learned the importance of background knowledge before going to a dance performance. Understanding who Lar is and knowing about the history of the company really helped me relate to the show more, and helped me to accept parts that I maybe did not like as much, because I felt more connected with the dance more, and with the personal reasons for different movements and ideas. I also learned a lot from Brian McGinnis because the class he taught was at an energy and intensity level that I don’t reach everyday. The movement differences were refreshing and interesting, and his dance quality and technique were very helpful to see in the studio setting. I also learned about the intensity of being in a dance company from learning parts of the dance in class, Brian teaching a class, and from the pre-show lecture. This week was an incredible learning and dancing experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful choreography of Lar Lubovitch.
The experience of being immersed in Lar Lubovitch and his work has proved to be a very useful and welcome stepping stone in my dance education. It has shown me a little bit of the world of professional dancers, like the information you have exposed in the pre-show lecture to us. It has taught me things about giving dance and choreography your all. And it has also simply been a really fun and enjoyable experience.
ReplyDeleteFirst we learned some of Lar’s choreography prior to the performance. Initially I was just thinking about getting the steps down. That seemed pretty ordinary. But I was in for something more. Once I got the steps down and we started dancing to music, I found it to be very easy in a way. It felt like I could easily learn further movement like this because it flowed so smoothly. The movements and the phrases went from one to the other until they were over, and only then I noticed that they were. It’s as if there were no kinks, or awkward transitions, the kind that allow for thought to interrupt the dancing. Then we danced to Mozart, and the music further helped me to feel the continuous flow with which the opening circle of Concerto 622 was infused.
A couple of days later I saw the Lar Lubovitch Company perform. That was very fun to see. I right away saw the opening circle and recognized choreography that we learned in class. Looking back now, I realize that because I knew some of the beginning steps I was hooked in to the show so much more than if I hadn’t known them. From the very beginning moments I was already intently watching for more recognizable movements, and other things you told us to look out for, such as “cartoon characters”. As I watched the dancers do the same steps that we learned a couple of days before, I thought about how is it that they make it look so much more than what it seemed to me in the studio. Of course, they are professional dancers, and undoubtedly I expected them to make the choreography look more beautiful than I made it look. But what specifically did they do? It was their energy that I saw streaming through their fingertips and toes (just like you always tell us!). Even into the simplest steps, even into mere walking, they invested their all, and I watched them do it throughout the whole show that night. They made it look believable. I’ve learned once again that night how important this investment of energy into your dancing is, and how the level of energy you put in, no matter how simple the movement, affects believability and what the spectators see.
Another fun moment of last week was the master class. On Wednesday we got to experience one of the Lar Lubovitch Company’s dancers teach a class. It was really fast paced and required high energy levels from all. I was glad I possessed such energy that day. I loved feeling my body being worked a bit harder than usual and sweating through it all. That day I was excited to learn even more of Lar’s choreography. A little bit from Mirimba. This one was one of the most interesting phrases for me to do. The idea of taking a phrase and manipulating it in different ways is very intriguing to me. How much can you do with just a couple of eight counts of choreography? How much can you change it? In any case, it was fun and excitingly challenging to work on this Increase-Plato-Decrease phrase from Mirimba. This also had a very “easy-going” sort of continuous flow feel to it. I found it pretty easy to learn as well, but not completely. A couple of places in the “decrease” section would occasionally escape my grasp for some reason.
I think with Mirimba, as with the other dances by Lar Lubovitch that I saw last week, I have realized that there is an importance placed on being on time and together for the dancers. You’ve mentioned that in Lar’s work one may see waves of energy flowing through space. I did see that in the performance on Thursday night, and in the Mirimba choreography that we did on Wednesday in the master class. I saw the waves of energy. I think this makes the individual dancers sort of blend into a collective energy bundle that flows and changes shape. I don’t think it’s a tragedy that the individual dancer may disappear, since such a beautiful outcome is created, as long as it’s not all the time, I suppose. When we practiced Mirimba again on Friday, I had some trouble with the “decrease” section a couple of times again. Here is when I noticed that there was a nice collective flow when we were together. But then the flow was broken when someone, for example me, was a bit off. The movement of the phrase went up and down a lot, as if we were riding waves. So when one head was still going up when the others were going down the waves were broken, and so was the effect.
The thing I will remember most about this experience is that to get the most out of dance education one needs to put a lot of energy into it, and not just physical energy but mental as well. And as one dances, whether in the studio or on stage, one needs to be fully committed to the present moment. Because unlike in academic classes, where one can be partially committed in class and then go home a review the book or the notes, in dance classes there’s not that much opportunity to revisit later what the body is learning now. Your body is your main text book in dance and you need to read it while its open, not when it’s closed, meaning during class not after.
Alisa Popova.
This past week I was exposed to the work of Lar Lubovitch in a very unique way. I will try to cover some of my major take-away points from these experiences. I was first exposed to Lar Lubovitch during class when when we worked on the opening circle to Concerto 622. Our class was taught a portion of the piece, we practiced it a bit, then watched video of the company perform the piece. My immediate reaction was wanting to work on the phrase again - I wanted to dance like them - not those imprecise & timid movements I was just doing... as I focused on the floor and worried about hitting the person in front and behind me. I wanted to try out dancing with that proud presence the Lubovitch dancers showed. See, those dancers had confidence and swank. But nothing over the top - possibly due to the circular nature of their movements... chest up, head high, toes pointed, and lotttts of circles. I liked it.
ReplyDeleteIn our next class, one of the Lubovitch dancers, Brian McGinnis, taught our class. Much of the choreography seemed to be based on Graham techniques, which made a lot of sense to me. With so much of the movements being circular, I could see Graham techniques being important. Being able to do a contraction from your center then extend the length of your body is what allows you to make those full C-like shapes. Also, in the class, I remember us practicing release and swing movements. We would release our body, swing down (or to the side) and always catch some sturdy, solid form on the upswing. I took from this experience, that the balance between control and letting lose (or the appearance of such) is probably an important aspect of the dancers’ training.
Another aspect of the Lubovitch dancers’ training that I gathered from what Louis said in the pre-lecture and during class, was regarding their focus on ballet. This focus was reenforced when I watched the show. Despite the circular and continual flow of their movements, the strong ballet foundation of these dancers were clear. This is one example of a tid bit of knowledge that I was able to go into the show with that allowed me to be a more active viewer in the audience. Another thing I paid close attention to, was how the dancers used their bodies to create images of circles. During class, one of my classmates mentioned that Lar Lubovitch thinks of the movements of his dancers as creating paintings - like they are creating circular strokes on a canvas with their body parts... whether it be an arm, a leg, an elbow... I totally see it.
Finally, the one thing I underestimated was Lar Lubovitchs’ use of partnering. I’d had a slight glimpse of it when we watched a video clip of a famous duet with 2 men... but I focused more on the opening circle at the time of the viewing. Since the opening appeared to be very individual, I expected much in the same throughout the show. Also, I originally thought that part of the reason the duet became so famous was because partnering may not have been as common in 80s? I think I had that all wrong. I saw from the show that they had some great use of partnering - those were, hands down, my favorite parts.
And as a concluding statement, I’ll just say, I will never approach dance concerts the same. I’ve always loved going to dance concerts, but it’s much more fulfilling when you have a lot of the background going into it. It’s what transforms simple entertainment into an experience.
~Casey
When I first walked into the class on Wednesday and saw Brian dancing at the front of the class and rehearsing the material, my first comment was “wow he is really good!” The next second I found out that he was a dancer in the Lar Lubovitch Company. I was pretty intimidated. I had positioned myself at the front of the class without knowing that we were about to take a master class, and I was nervous to be dancing with such an incredible dancer. However, as soon as the class started, my confidence was boosted because I found that I was pushing myself to dance as fully as possible. My need to impress him and the other dancers in the room drove me to really focus and dance my best. When I later saw Brian dancing on stage during the Lar Lubovitch performance I felt uplifted and inspired. The feeling that I had experienced in class, confirmed that if I really put my heart into dancing I could potentially dance professionally. Not that I was anywhere close to being at a professional level with my dancing, but I had confirmed my drive to dance to my full potential. The precision and technique that the Lar Lubovitch dancers embodied was filling in a sense. To watch the dancers extension and their full-bodied round movement just made me want to go to a dance class and dance my heart out.
ReplyDeleteWatching the dancers on stage dance the section that we learned in class was an interesting experience. The way that they danced it seemed different then how it felt in my body. When I danced the movement, it felt like it moved far more. For example, when we did a grape vine and scooped with our arms, it felt like my whole body was engaging, twisting and moving really far. However, seeing the same movement on stage, it seemed much more compact. Perhaps it was just the view I had from so far back in the performance hall, or maybe it was because the way they performed it was correct and I was merely allowing my body to move in ways that they restricted their bodies from moving because of the choreography.
While some criticized the dance for how technique oriented the piece was, I looked at the gorgeous choreography and saw the dancers expressing themselves through that movement. In class, we had the brief discussion on the two ends of the spectrum when it comes to modern dance. At one end is the highly structured, balletic, perfectionist side and at the other, the individualistic, expressive movement. While there is no doubt that Lar Lubovitch Company fell at the former side of the spectrum, I still saw individuality expressed through that movement. In my dancing career, I have experienced both sides, but primarily the one in which self expression is promoted over technique. Still, when I find myself dancing a piece in which it is very specific and structured, I still feel like I am expressing myself through the movement. This only happens, however, when I feel that I am technically at the level in which I can fully embody the movement. In the Lar Lubovitch choreography, it was very precise, yet, because of the skill level of the dancers, I could sense their individuality shining through. While this perspective may only be seen through dancers eyes, I felt moved by the performance, and that certainly did not come from the fact that the movement was “pretty”. Instead, I saw the emotion in the movement and in the dancers and in turn, I was inspired.
-Jessica
My Reaction to Lar Lubvitch
ReplyDeleteI had a great experience learning some of Lar Lubivitch’s choreography. I also really enjoyed learning about him in class and from the pre-show lecture and it really influenced the way I viewed the show. I was extremely moved by the show and the prior knowledge intensified my viewing pleasure. Also, there are many things I will remember about this whole experience with learning about and watching Lar Lubovitch’s choreography.
The Lar Lubovitch performance gave me a new appreciation for the art of dance. I have never been touched the way these dancers touched me. Learning the choreography gave me a greater appreciation for how amazing the dancers are because I knew how hard the choreography was in the opening circle to Concerto 622 for example, and how hard learning and maintaining musicality through the piece is. Also, after you mentioned how hard it is to dance in a circle I realized it myself while doing the piece and I appreciated how flawlessly they maintained the circle on stage.
Watching the dancers made me want to perform on stage. It made me miss running off the side of the stage into the wings and entering on another side of the stage. It made me miss the costumes and the effect they had on my dancing and how the lighting affected my performance. I learned how beautiful dancers really can be and that dancing can be so breath taking that it almost brings tears to my eyes. I also learned how even simple costumes have a very strong impact.
Also, the duo with two men and knowing how big of an impact it had on the community at one point in history made me appreciate the work a lot more. If I had watched the duo I would have been touched by it, but I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much if I was not told how famous it was before the performance. The partnering was also extremely touching and the lifts that they did looked effortless, but I know how hard lifts are to do. Also, the way that the men made each other look like they were as light as feathers when they lifted them up was striking. I also noticed that the dancer’s dynamics were amazing because they would be running around the stage like crazy people and then they would be moving so gently that it looked almost effortless. You pointed out how gentle the men perform the duo and I observed that when I watched it on stage. I realized after this performance and after studying his choreography, how in dance often times, less is more and that like you said dance does not have to be “diva” all the time with just extensions and technique, it can be extremely powerful with gentle movements.
Lar’s choreography is like nothing I have ever seen. It is definitely a mix between technical ballet and unique modern. It also had a comical feel when he created moves that really spoke to audience and when the dancers made jesters for example, when one of dancers looked around and shrugged his shoulders as if to say “I guess not, whatever”. It also looked comical, as you pointed out in the pre-show lecture and in class that it would, when the dancers ran around the stage like cartoon characters sneaking around. You described the choreography as a lot of technical ballet with the upper body moving off center and I observed this and it is very unique, amazing, and beautiful. You mentioned how he loves circles and this was definitely easy to observe. They danced in circles, made circles with their arms, ran in circles, and even made circles with each other by combining two limbs of two different people to make one circle in the duo with two men and it was gorgeous.
Furthermore, hearing about all the famous works that Lar has done made me appreciate his choreography even more. Also, knowing that the dancers travel all over the world and knowing that the company has been around for forty years made me appreciate the company even more as well because clearly it is an extremely successful company if it continues to sell many tickets to audiences all over the world. Also, knowing how humble he is made me have an a greater appreciation for him as an artist because it is so unique and refreshing that he looks at his ability to choreograph as a gift because his choreography is so amazing. It is mind boggling to think about how someone would even come up with his choreography and where they would start. Many gifted people have such a big ego and it was special to know that he is not one of those people. It is also very interesting to me that the choreography has not changed a lot since the beginning years of the company because this fact also shows how amazing the choreography is on its own and that it does not need to be modernized to fit to our ever changing society that constantly develops new needs and desires.
I think there are quite a few things that I will remember most about this experience. I will remember how lucky I have been to have such an amazing company perform in walking distance from my house. I will remember how lucky I am to have a teacher for a whole quarter that was a past member in this amazing company. I will remember how lucky I have been to have gotten to learn some of the choreography that Lar has done. I will also remember how I got to take a master class from a current member in his company, have him watch me dance, and critique me. I will also remember that I got to watch a tape before seeing the actual performance of the opening number and the duo with two men and have certain aspects broken down about the show and pointed out to me. I will also remember that I got to see a lecture before I watched the show that my own teacher did covering aspects about Lar’s life, his choreography, your experiences in the company, and how the company runs. All of this information was really useful in watching the performance and made the viewing experience even richer.
In conclusion, I feel like I am a lot more educated about Lar Lubovitch then I was before this class. Because he is so well known and his shows will be famous for a very long time, I feel very fortunate that I was given the opportunity to be immersed in the culture of his work. Although I will probably not have another opportunity to actually learn choreography from shows I will go to watch, I want to always make a point before I see a show in the future to read the program ahead of time and research about the choreography. Now I realize how much more enjoyable and interesting it makes shows to have previous knowledge about them.
-Nicole
Last week it was really fun and intriguing to learn about Lar Lubovitch and his company. I personally had no knowledge of the company or the type of choreography before this past week. I really enjoyed learning a little bit about the company and being introduced to the choreography of Concerto 622 on Monday; most of what we discussed gave me more of an understanding of the dances when I watched them at the performance. Wednesday, taking the master class was really fun and it was nice to try something different. I felt relaxed and free in my body. I felt that I could compare the dynamics of choreography with Paul Taylor, a style that I have danced before.The similarities included rounded arms, long lunges, and the reverse curve of the arms, when we were lunged down to the ground. Overall, I felt that the style was very free to move in and explore in my own body.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the Lar Lubovitch dance performance on thursday February 5th, 2009. Through the pre-show lecture and from class, I learned that the company was celebrating its 40th Anniversary and they were doing a tour showing reproduced dance pieces. Through listening, watching, and learning about Lar Luovitch’s choreography, I found that it is strongly based on music; it is considered “Music visualization.” Even though the choreography is modern, it still contains a strong ballet technique. However, there are many useful qualities of Modern dance that are incorporated throughout the dance pieces; such as, roundness, from the shape of the arms to the circular floor patterns, gestures, and contractions. Lubovitch also employs humor, as a quality, it is said that the dancers were asked to creep like cartoon characters some of the choreography. Overall the choreography is very dynamic with its connection to the music, yet the movements are simple, clean and clear in the way they are presented.
There were three dances that were preformed on Thursday night; the first one was Concerto Six Twenty-two. This piece we learned in class, so it was interesting to see it on stage being preformed. Watching the performance, there was a sense of simplicity, beauty, and gracefulness; as well as, the noticeable humor. All the dancers were wearing white and it reminded me off being in Ancient Greece. While learning the piece, I found that it was more intricate then it looked. Also, that there are clear moments of suspension, as well as, quick sharp movements; most that you do not realize are there until the music is played and you can clearly see and feel how it fits together.
The second piece of the show, was Jangle, it was described as a hungarian dance, but reminded me more of an Irish dance/ jig. The steps were very quick and arm movement was round. What I liked most about this piece, was that I found myself developing a story based on the movements; it was something similar to an Irish immigrant who found that living in a time when life was hard and difficult to survive in. The last piece was Dvorak Serenade and it was gorgeous. There was a very romantic quality to the dance. The lights were low, everyone was in white, and there was a duet dancing against the movement of an ensemble. There where many level changes and coordinations that allowed the choreography to flow nicely in a wave. Overall, I thought that the entire performance was beautiful and very moving.
One thing I noticed about the performers, is that even though they were given specific choreography, and despite the restrictions they each had their own qualities that brought a special character and feeling to the dances, such as facial expressions and connections to the audience. The choreography and movement are strong and enforced; yet, I like that freedom is allowed but it is not over done. This influenced how I practiced the dance on Friday. It was fun to re-learn the choreography to Concerto Six Twenty-two and to dance it with the 400 class. Even though space was kind of tight, it was a good experience. I found that once I understood the steps it was easier to add emotion and feeling to the dance while still keeping with in the boundaries of the choreography. It I think I will remember this experience mostly because of being able to learn choreography, dance it and actually see it preformed on stage. I have never been given so much information about one style in such a short amount of time.
- Katelynn C.
The opening circle of Lar Lubovich’s piece entitled Concerto Six Twenty-Two from his 1986 repertoire that we learned last week was a challenge to dance and gave great insight into not only what the company does on a regular basis and what Lar as a choreographer demands of them, but also gave us all a base to connect to when we watched their performance at the end of the week.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Lar’s choreography is both innovative and, I felt, grounded in a very symmetrical, straightforward way. The shapes that he has created through the movements of the dancers convey a very clear message of what is going on in the dance as well as what he wants his audience to experience. Sometimes I think modern dance becomes too introspective and doesn‘t make a strong impression on and connection to a broad audience. My first impression was that Lar gave the audience all the information they needed to see what he envisioned when he created his pieces, and I enjoyed watching the dynamics he presented, not only between the simple beauty of the round shapes the dancers created and the intricate footwork involved, but also the way in which the dancers moved in unison. I have always heavily favored companies and productions that have a solid ballet basis, and because my taste is geared toward ballet, I appreciated Friday’s performance even more.
Because Lar has woven modern style into the patterns and controlled movements of ballet, I found that my body naturally responded well to many of the ballet steps that he used in his choreography that are so ingrained in me due to my previous training. I also admired the elegance and effortlessness of the transitions between phrases, and my body could thus relate physical actions to music with much more ease than some of the other modern choreography I have experienced in the past. However, the opening circle of Concerto Six Twenty-Two presented some difficulties in the form of how Lar envisioned the timing of some of the movements. For example, procuring the right amount of suspension and the right amount of speed through each phrase was challenging, and I felt my body wanting to rush through what should have been a relaxed and flowing passage.
Leading up to the performance that I watched on Friday night, we had talked about the way in which Lar pushed dancers to the edge of their performing capabilities with his choreography, and I truly sensed that when we learned the opening circle that accompanied Mozarts Clarinet Concerto 622. The agility and lightness of foot required to dance this piece is not only a mental exercise, but a physical exercise in how far one can push bodily limits while maintaining a steady internal rhythm and internal awareness of the emotion and expression to be conveyed to the audience.
The pre-show lecture as well as the master class taught by Brian Mc Ginnes also gave a fantastic background into Lar’s creative genius, and I gained some insight into the drive behind his pieces, especially the second piece called Jangle where it seemed like his experience creating and working with musicals and Broadway shows really came into play. Although I did enjoy working with the Concerto 622 piece, the piece entitled Dvorak Serenade truly exemplified to me how Lar uses the body to paint curves and wonderful round shapes on the stage, similar to the piece Mirimba that Brian taught in class on Wednesday. I found the way in which Lar used a seemingly simple set of 8 to create practically a whole dance very interesting a real exercise for the brain.
Even after learning about all the different curves and circles the body could create, and listening to the pre-show lecture about Lar’s experiences and talents as a choreographer, I was still not prepared for how amazing the performance was on Friday night. Watching professional dancers perform what I myself have learned was a very humbling and inspiring experience. My first reaction was: “Wow. I wish I could be that good even in my next lifetime.” And then once I overcame how incredible and perfect everyone looked on stage, I remembered taking the master class with Brian and I realized that these people are real and tangible, which does show through in Lar’s choreography, but only after the audience accustoms itself to the beauty and precision on the dancers. I felt that no room for a mistake was allowed, either in character or in step, which could have detracted from the overall performance, but only succeeded in directing my attention toward how detailed the dance was. I admired how differently each of the dancers performed the opening circle than I did, or our class did as a whole, but I think it will take me many years to get to the point where I could affectively apply what I learned last week to my dancing and have some kind of noticeable result. That said, I did really enjoy dancing pieces that were far beyond my skill level, if only that they gave me a taste of what being in a professional dance company is like, as well as the knowledge that certain choreography can be timeless.
~Kristen
I would describe Lar’s choreography as fluid, constant, circular, and repetitive. Learning Lar’s work was quite interesting and challenging. The master class with Brian was one I’ll never forget. There was so much going on, the choreography flowed from one move to the next to the next. It wasn’t always fast, but it was challenging to keep up with the music sometimes. My favorite part was the last piece he taught us because there was an illusion and there were jumps.
ReplyDeleteLar’s choreography is so unique. I really like how he includes lots of jumps and leaps. It makes the dancers seem weightless and flying around the stage floor. I also like how he uses circle formations. From doing it in class, I’ve realized how hard it is to travel in a circle and keep its shape, and the company is a spectacular job at that. One thing I noticed was that the choreography was often done in roll-offs, and I found that pretty interesting. It made it so that the same pieces of choreography looked different because all the timings were different. The only negative part I thought about the show was that the dances kind of looked the same, just with different speeds due to the music. I suppose maybe that’s how Lar imagined it, but to me, it was a bit strange.
Even though I enjoyed this experience, this style of dance does not particularly interest me. I really like something more along the lines of the creature dances or the dancing on beach combination – I like more variety in dancing.
- Allyson Wang
I feel this past week was packed with learning and new experiences. Learning that modern dance is not all about improve or complicated confusing combinations and that dance does not have to say anything it can just be about the music and be beautiful. I also learned that Knowledge is a powerful thing that can change your experience in small but meaningful ways. This was all realized when this past week we learned about the Lar Lubovitch company, learned combination, had a master class and saw them perform.
ReplyDeleteThe choreography that we learned felt very natural in my body. It was as if the music was cueing each step telling me what to do next, which was refreshing because I struggle with remembering what comes next in a combination. Marimba was probably the most challenging to remember. The phrase of eight threes was fine and made sense to my body once I figured out which foot to start on but it was the external order that was put on top of that phrase that was confusing. Once I remembered the pattern and was able to dance it, it made sense and felt like pulsing waves, never the same size.
I felt like I really benefitted from the preshow lecture and what we learned about Lar Lubovitch in class. When I go to a show not knowing what to expect I tend to expect and look for what I’m most familiar with which is stories and drama. For this show, from what I had learned beforehand, I was expecting to see the music come to life on stage, lots of circles, and a fun joyful aspect and that is exactly what I saw. It is very satisfying for an audience member to have all their expectations met. I think I enjoyed the performance much more than if I hadn’t learned anything about the company before seeing them perform. It was also exciting to professional dancers do on stage a combination we learned in class, to see them and think “so that’s what it’s supposed to look like”.
The most important thing I will take away from this experience is how valuable it is to do my homework about a company or performance before I see them. I learned not to have expectations of what to I’m going to see or experience and going to a performance or a class with an open mind and some knowledge makes for a much more rewarding experience.
-Kimberly Redding-
ReplyDeleteLast week was really amazing and I’m really grateful I go to a school that allows me to have such opportunities. The choreography didn’t feel natural right away when we started learning Lar’s work on Monday. I really enjoyed the movement quality and the choreography but I was having trouble making sense of how it went with the music. I didn’t have the experience of fully dancing it because I was still thinking a lot of how it’s supposed to look and whether I was doing it “right.” Then on Wednesday we had a master class with Brian and it was so amazing! The combinations and movement we were doing were totally new to me. The components were all familiar but the way they all came together was really unique and new for me (ballet legs, modern arms etc). It was really fun to have such big movements to work with and I felt like I really got a chance to play around with the choreography and become even more familiar with it. Thursday I saw the performance. My friend Charlie who has danced with Lar told me a story of how Lar would give corrections. He said Lar was a painter and he saw everything in brush strokes and as if it were a painting. Charlie said he would come reposition your arms and say “Paint this part larger and smoother.” Having been told this story I think I saw the performance in a whole new way. I really could see the “brush strokes” during the performance. I tried to imagine them holding glow sticks and taking a picture with the shutter slowed down. That was a really interesting insight into the choreography. After seeing the performance I was also excited to go back to class and continue trying it out. I saw it as such full and rich movement, and it really made me excited to try grasping those qualities more. And I think I did on Friday. When we all came back together and danced some more of Lars choreography, I felt like I had a deeper understanding of what was going on behind the movement and could dance it more than think about it like I did on Monday. I had much more freedom to dance the bigness and richness of the movements.
I think context really made a difference for seeing this show. I remember the Paul Taylor Company and that I didn’t really like it because there was really great technique but like we discussed on Monday, I didn’t feel like I was able to connect or get to know any of the dancers. Lar’s show was actually pretty similar in that I wasn’t really able to see personal expressions from the dancers; they were all very together and very “on” with their technique. However, knowing what I knew about Lar “painting” his choreography and also having tried the choreography in my own body made all the difference. It made it possible for me to form the connection to the performance and dancers that I hope for and enjoy.
When I came into class on Monday of last week and saw the information about the Lar Lubovitch performance written on the dry-erase board, I thought “Great. My only night off and I have to go to this show.” Not that I don’t enjoy watching a dance performance; it was just not something I had planned in my schedule for that week. When class began, Louis gave a little history on the company and told us that he was once a member of The Lar Lubovitch Company. He said that Lar’s movement was very balletic in a sense. Lar used ballet steps and then added a more free flowing torso and arms. After tweaking the ballet steps to his liking he would then take that and throw it off center to create these beautiful phrases. Then we learned some choreography and watched some of Lar’s work on tape. After learning some of the repertoire, I was very anxious to see the show. I thought that the work that I saw of his was so beautiful, free flowing, and dynamic. On Wednesday we had a master class with Brain (I can’t recall his last name.), a current member of The Lar Lubovitch Company. He was full of energy from the very beginning! I loved it! The very first warm-up exercise we did with all the circles of the arms and torso was amazing. All of the circular motion just felt great! My body felt so awake and ready to dance after that. All of the combinations seemed very fast-paced. There seemed to be no sustained positions; when you made it to one position, it was time to move immediately into the next. One of the last things we learned was from Mirimba. When Brian showed us the whole phrase first and then said “1,2,3. 1,2,3,4. 1,2,3,4,5. 1,2,3,4,5,6. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.” and so on ..., I wasn’t quite sure where he was going with it. When he broke it down and I understood that it was just an accumulating pattern I thought that the way this numerical pattern translated into movement was very cool. Overall, the class was amazing! I had a great time! The following day, Thursday, I went and saw the show opening night. Louis gave the pre-show lecture. Most of the information given in the pre-show lecture I recalled him telling us in class. I really liked the story of his audition. What a great first experience with Lar Lubovitch! Then the show began. I really understood what Louis meant about the music visualization in Concerto 622. I was also able to pick out the section where the dancers were told to run like cartoon characters in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Then there was the much anticipated male duet from Concerto 622. It was beautiful. There were some nice lifts at the end that were unusual to see a guy being lifted in, but nonetheless beautiful. The whole show was excellent! It made me want to be up there with them, or any company for that matter. Every time I see a great performance, it just reminds me how badly I want that. At the same time it’s a scary thought; am I good enough to be at that level or am I even on the right tract to be at that level some day before I am too old to dance. Seeing how the company members danced on stage also encouraged me to give my dance as much energy as I can, although it’s hard to always remember that when I am working so hard on getting the steps. The next day we learned the opening circle from Concerto 622. Seeing the show, learning some history about Lar Lubovitch and his dance company, and learning some of their repertoire was a wonderful learning experience. I wish all performances I go to were set up like this was.
ReplyDelete*Kali
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ReplyDeleteI honestly had never heard of Lar Lubovitch before this year. Being able to learn some of the choreography and then watch a videotape of what we just worked on was neat. I liked to see that I could do the same moves that the professionals were asked to do. For some reason, it makes me feel more comfortable as a performer to feel that I am at least capable of doing some of the things that people pay to watch. (Not to put a “price tag” on the value of any dance specifically or anything.) Brian McGinnis’ master class was very different from the modern class I’m used to this quarter. For some reason, I found it easier to follow along. This was probably due to the fact that every step and curve was explained and noted as the class went on. The Mirimba piece was also relatively easy, but dealing with the whole ascending/descending form put me in my head for a little while. Although challenging, it wasn’t incredibly frustrating, and it was exciting once everyone got the hang of it. All of a sudden an 8-part dance sequence turned into a fully choreographed performance. This made me even more excited for the dance concert itself.
ReplyDeleteI went to the show on Thursday, and I believe Louis mentioned something during the pre-show lecture (or I may have read in the program) about Lar Lubovitch being one of the top 10 choreographers in the world. This fact alone raised my expectations for the dance concert by a lot. And I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Even though I already knew what choreography was coming next, watching it all performed LIVE was nothing short of amazing. And I’m not just saying that. My roommate, who is as enamored by dance as I am, missed the show and so I as I watched the performance, I was trying to figure out how I would explain it to her in the simplest, most direct way possible. I called her during one of the breaks and told her, “it’s like fusing lyrical nuance with colorguard performance qualities and ballet technique with a modern intent.” There were funny parts, there were gentle scenes, there were technical moments, and to me, it was a fantastic and enlightening sight. After watching a little bit more, I thought of another thing that was brought up by Louis that had to do with how Lar would constantly take proper technique and “throw it off-center.” (Please excuse me if I’m mis-quoting. I only mean to explain the gist of what was said.) Much of the movement was complicated and required a lot of strength and training, but still organic enough to look very natural and less forced. Not only was it a joy to watch, but the performers looked like they were also having the time of their lives.
Learning more of concerto 622 the next day was another unexpectedly new experience. I noticed that, for me, the sequence of the choreography was easier to remember and perform if I just let go and danced to the music. This was something I hadn’t truly done all quarter, mostly because the music is typically played in accompaniment to our dancing (i.e. music by Kane played based off of what he sees us doing at the time). But because Lar’s choreography is so musical, if you just cooperate with what the music does, the choreography lines up wonderfully.
All in all, I’m glad we got to watch these specific dances live. Choreographed years ago, you would think that some of the moves would be considered “outdated” or “old news.” Dance always seems to find a way to remain ageless although the times and aesthetic preferences continue to vary. Although even today, Lar Lubovitch’s choreography remains innovative and enjoyable. And I doubt that that will ever change.
~Jennifer
Revised Analysis:
ReplyDeleteI would describe Lar’s choreography as fluid, constant, circular, and repetitive; it is so unique. I really like how he includes lots of jumps and leaps. It makes the dancers seem weightless and flying around the stage floor. I also like how he uses circle formations. From doing it in class, I’ve realized how hard it is to travel in a circle and keep its shape, and the company is a spectacular job at that. Not only did they dance in circles, they danced in various other formations like staggered lines and diamond-like shapes. No matter what formation they were in, their lines were spot on. A common thing I noticed was that the choreography was often done in roll-offs, and I found that pretty interesting. It made it so that the same pieces of choreography looked different because all the timings were different. Lar also used a variety of lifts in his pieces. Coming from a dancer’s perspective, I could tell that they were difficult ones, but the way the company performed them were flawless. In the men’s duet in particular, the lifts they did displayed such strength and grace, it was amazing. Of all the acts in the show, my favorite had to have been the last one. I really liked the duet with the man and the woman – to me, it looked almost like a love story in dance form. It was so beautiful. In general, I think I liked the solo or duet parts more than the company parts because I liked being able to focus completely on him, her, or them rather than try to notice all of the dancers. The only negative part I thought about the show was that I felt that the dances kind of all looked the same, just with different speeds due to the music, probably because the choreography was so repetitive. I suppose maybe that’s how Lar imagined it, but to me, it was a bit strange.
Learning Lar’s work was quite interesting and challenging. The master class with Brian was one I’ll never forget. There was so much going on, the choreography flowed from one move to the next to the next. It wasn’t always fast, but it was challenging to keep up with the music sometimes. He was so enthusiastic, and I like him because he wasn’t afraid to call out someone and give them constructive criticism, AND he asked for their person’s name. I thought that was cool because it seemed he wanted to connect with that person by asking for their name. My favorite part of the class was the last piece he taught us because there was an illusion, jumps, and it had a nice flowing rhythm to it. I also really enjoyed the Mirimba! That was the most interesting piece of choreography I’ve ever learned. It was amazing how different it looked when he put it in the increasing, plateau, and decreasing form. I really appreciate learning the Concerto 622. As I mentioned earlier, dancing in a circle is so difficult, and I didn’t realize that until we learned this piece. Plus, it was fun to see that dance at the beginning of the show and know that choreography and pretend to dance along with it in my head.
Even though I enjoyed this experience, this style of dance does not particularly interest me. I really like something more along the lines of the creature dances or the dancing on beach combination – I like more variety in dancing. Regardless of that, I see the beauty and grace in Lar’s work and I very much appreciated learning and experiencing it.
- Allyson Wang
During the past week, taking the master class from Brian McGinnis and watching him dance on the Meany stage with the Lar Lubovitch Company was amazing. It was really awesome to do the warm ups taught by Brian McGinnis and learning a piece from the Mirimba that was done to the music of Phillip Glass that has been performed by the Company. The style of modern dance was different than I have ever done before and I was so incredibly sore the next day from the work out I got in the master class. I just started practicing Modern Dance Spring Quarter 2008 with Louis Gervais. I feel really lucky that I’m able to learn from so many different teachers with so many different backgrounds and styles. I think that it’s really cool that Louis was in the company and Brian is in the company, and taking class from both of them and learning two different styles was a really good experience.
ReplyDeleteAlso, hearing about the tours during the pre-show lecture was really interesting. The fact that the Lar Lubovitch Company has been to all fifty states and around the world to other countries is amazing. I had never been to a performance with a company so famous before. I had no idea how famous the Lar Lubovitch Company was until the pre-show lecture. After hearing how famous the company is, and taking the master class from Brian McGinnis, and having a couple of the other dancers in ballet class with me, made me a little star-struck while watching them perform on Saturday night. It was also really refreshing to hear that Lar Lubovitch is a very humble man of many talents, who creates such amazing works of art.
The performance for me was really interesting and inspirational to watch. I am a young choreographer, and I feel like my choreography styles are changing intensely because of Dance Composition courses. The choreography of Lar Lubovitch is much different than what I’ve ever thought of to choreograph with. But because of Dance Composition I and II, I was familiar with different methods and techniques of choreography that he uses such as framing people on the stage while others do duets or trios. That was a very interesting touch to the stage presences to me, along with the repetition of circular movement.
The last thing I want to touch on is a conversation we had in class reflecting on the Lar Lubovitch Company’s performance. The dancers of that Company are meant to dance in a specific way at a specific time and they must be together or someone will stand out and look “off”. The performers in the company executed this so well, it was really impressive to watch. To hear Louis’ account of when he was in the company was really interesting; that everything had to be perfect and “on” and together with everyone. Now, he has a different understanding of dance where you have your own body and you can move it the way it likes to move and have an inside and outside experience with the body and it’s movement with dance. I am glad that I have that understanding as well. I feel like it is a constant journey to keep exploring different experiences with movement and the personal inward connection to dance and the outward expression that comes with dancing as well. There are moments where a dancer needs to have a set way of moving with specific timing, and those moments can be just as cherished as the other moments of having a personal and emotional connection to free movement during performances or class exercises.
~Rashelle McKee