Analysis of a Dance

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Recommended: Gender roles in western culture

The dance that I will be focusing on is entitled: thinking sensing standing feeling object of attention. The dance, to me, symbolizes the socialization of persons in Western civilization concerning gender roles. In the beginning there are gestures that are separated from emotion and full-embodiment, but as the dance progresses the gestures become more meaningful and recognizable. The lighting starts out very specific and narrow, then the light encompasses the entire stage, and eventually the dancers are silhouetted as they return to a familiar movement motif in the end. The music is mainly instrumental with occasional soft female vocals, and the lyrics suggest emotion, which is interesting because the dancers do not convey emotion until the end of the dance. Also, the showing of emotion is directly proportional to how much clothing the dancers have on at specific points in the dance.

The dancers start center-stage in a spotlight, and they are motionless for a long moment. The two dancers, on male and one female, are wearing the same outfit. On top, they are wearing a black, long-sleeved blouse. On bottom, they are wearing puffed, blue skirt/shorts. The music is cued along with the lights, and it gives the piece a sense of time as the dancers stand still for what seems like a minute. The dancers begin gesturing without feeling, and as they move out of the spotlight, the lights grow to encompass the full stage. The dancers then take turns experiencing each other’s weight in weight sharing and lifting. The lights remain the same as the dancers share weight, repeat recognizable gestures, and perform an awkward partnered dance that resembles ballroom style. The sameness of the light corresponds to the sameness of the gestures. The f...

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...e are a lot of lifts and partnering in this piece that have the same feeling of gravity and weight. The relationship of the dance to the music in Esplanade is also parallel. I think that you can take the movements and gestures from both this dance and several of Paul Taylor’s works and relate them to everyday life, such as: walking, running, crawling, hugging, thrusting, groping, and lifting. The costuming would not be typical of a Taylor work, because it is not gender specific, but I believe that the gestural/pedestrian feel of the dance lines up with Paul Taylor’s inspirations.

Works Cited

Cumbie, Matthew H., and Amanda Jackson. "Thinking Sensing Standing Feeling Object of Attention." DanceMakers. Texas Woman's University. Denton, Texas, 13 Nov. 2010. Live Performance.

Tobey, Cheryl. "Eview: Paul Taylor Live and on Film." JSTOR. JSTOR. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.

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