Part of the Renegade series of UMS was Random Dance by Wayne McGregor and it was absolutely fabulous. There were many different styles and elements that made the piece shocking, interesting, and beautiful. The event was held on February 18 at 8pm and lasted a little over an hour (with no intermission). Sitting in the second row at the Power Center made me feel like I was in the action since I was so close to the stage. Throughout the piece, a board with multiple lights was used to capture moments of emotion.
The dance began with a few dancers holding torches and a duet between two dancers in nude, unrestrictive clothing, which made the dance seem natural, raw, and highly exposed. The first dance reminded me of birth in a way because it seemed pure and innocent. This piece flowed smoothly into a more electronic and dark dance. The light board went crazy and flashed all over the place and the lights went down. The music quickly changed from opera-esque singing to club music that had strong bass. It was almost as if you could feel the music rather than hear it and it was clear that that was how the dancers felt as well.
The dancers had amazing interaction between each other; they could have been making up the whole dance as they went along. They had a visceral connection that was clear in the way that one dancer would move and prompt another. At one point in the performance, all of the dancers were on stage having what looked like a giant fight scene, which seemed choreographed but also improvised.
The lighting board played a big role in the mood of the show. It was such a versatile part of the performance in that it could be used to changed the feeling using shadows, bright lighting, and flashing. There was a part of the show where shadows of the lighting cast a sort of clock onto the board. The board was structural, electronic, and mobile, which was the perfect combination for it to be used as a backdrop for this very diverse performance.
Random Dance was entertaining but also made me think about what went into the production of this epic piece. The dancers and director must have found a great balance between control and improvisation and whoever was working the giant lighted structural piece contributed largely to the quality of the show!
More about the event can be found here: http://www.ums.org/s_current_season/artist.asp?pageid=680
I agree, the performance was amazing. All of the dancers seemed to exhibit a sense of gracefulness but were jerky at the same time. These are two traits that are very difficult to combine and display during a single performance.