Now, I could try to describe the plot to you,
but I truly have no idea what the plot was. In simplest terms, the dancers
danced to the music originally from Rite of Spring, with added elements of the
actors giving monologues as different characters loosely related to Rite of
Spring. Ellen Lauren, for example, was an actress from SITI Company, she portrayed
a character almost like a professor; donned in a blue polka dot dress, she was
there to help us understand the music and the riot. Her monologues, which
occurred in between periods of dancing, explained the construction of the
music, and the audience reactions in a very high pitched, piercing voice. Meanwhile,
Steven Duff Webber wore a suit, and with a powerful presence reminded us of the
passage of time. His monologue really got to me, to the point where I was
thinking about it two days later, trying to really understand it. He taught us
that, if you are moving, and someone is standing still, the two of you will
have perceptions of “now” that are slightly different. He did this to put into
perspective how this event that happened 100 years ago is still important to us
today, as time is not moving in one direction, it is all around us. In these moments,
the actors really showed every characteristic of their roles, which is what
make their acting so strong and engaging. I was interested in the monologues
and the characters presented, although half the time I had no idea what they
were even talking about, and what it had to do with the piece I was watching. I
just liked listening to the stories, and watching these actors, who were so
committed to everything they were doing. I was especially amazed at how into
the dancing the actors got. Of course professional dancers did the bulk of the
dancing, but the actors were right there with them, moving and sweating
profusely. Whether it was dancing or acting, the actors dove into everything
they were doing and really did an amazing job portraying their characters.
The set was effortlessly beautiful as well. It
was a simple black stage with only white lights to illuminate it. The curtain
in the background moved every once in a while to change the mood of the scene.
For example, in the last scene, a soldier-like character portrayed by Will Bond
ran back and forth behind a curtain that was cut into strips that hung across
the upstage area. It made the scene more mysterious and a little bit darker
than it already was, if that is possible. It added to the desperation I felt
while watching him run back and forth. The only props used in the entire
performance were stools that the performers sat on, danced with, and threw
around, and a piano that was rolled onto the stage to be played and sat on. The
set was simple and, for a piece like this, it needed to be. The dancing and
acting on stage was extremely complex and difficult to understand. If there had
been a bunch of props or complicated technical elements, we would have been
even more confused than we already were. With the simple set, the focus was on
the performance and trying to understand the piece.
Finally, the dancing. I absolutely loved the
dancing. What I loved about the dancing was that I could tell that all of the
dancers on stage were miraculously well trained. They went into splits and did
double pirouettes when the choreography called for it, but these dancers knew
that that they were not there to show us how amazingly technical they were. The
choreography was very primitive, with lots of second positions, flexed feet,
jumps and moves that were not supposed to be pretty. So many times dancers get
caught in trying to make their work look good, but the dancers in this piece knew
that this was not what this piece was about. This piece was about riots and
sacrifice and instincts, and nothing about that is pretty. My absolute favorite
piece of dance was a sequence of lifts that the company repeated a few times.
There were some lifts that involved the whole group, where someone would be
dragged across the stage. Others where two people would engage in more
traditional girl and guy lifts that you might see in a more traditional dance
setting. Each and every lift and move in the sequence was seamless, while still
being hard-hitting, primitive and exciting to watch. For me, the dancing was
absolutely the highlight of the show. And, again being completely honest, I
went home and watched far too many YouTube videos of the Bill T. Jones/ Arine
Zane Dance Company’s performances. I would go back and watch A Rite again just
to watch the choreography, which was so new and out of the box, that I could
watch it a million times and find something new that I loved each time .
This piece. I could never describe it as
anything but really, really weird. But sometimes weird, out there,
incomprehensible work is the most fun to watch. While I did not come out of the
piece with any idea of what the plot was, I came out curious and was still
thinking about the piece the next morning. This piece was definitely hard at
times when things got really weird and all I could do was try and figure out
what the heck they were doing. But overall, I still want to go back and watch
it over and over until I can understand every little nuance and every intention
behind it. This piece is definitely difficult at some points, so if you looking
for a fun, easy night of theater or do not like being confused, this is not the
piece for you. But if you are looking for a piece that you will be thinking
about for the next six months, and still never totally understand, then A Rite
is the piece for you.
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