Alim, Mohammad Fyzee P.

3LM 1)

March 15, 2010

Neo-Filipino 2010: DANCE IN A TIME OF CHANGE the whole performance addresses

the changes in Philippine society expressed through the means of strong suggestive movements of dance. As with the theme the performance combines modern and classical ballet choreographed to mirror the settings of issues underlying in our society. The performance came just in time as the artistic director Paul Alexander Morales says Considering that its an election year, we are in a period of transition. There are dance vignettes that tackle the darker issues of our society such as infidelity of a husband with another male partner, with a mother that tries to protect her broken daughter. There are dances that reflect the hustle of our society where people are always rushing, moving but not always in cooperation. There are also lighter performances about love in which teenagers can easily relate to. Teenage romance with a twist of humor and the strong emotions brought about by love. The dancers were able to strongly project the strain of their problems through the use of facial expressions and seemingly aggravated movement. It was very different experience for me because it was my first time watching the ballet. Although I was not able to interpret some of the dance vignette. It was very enjoyable and relaxing. 2) In my opinion the dance vignette that strongly embodies the notion that dance is a

spiritual activity in physical form is the seventh dance vignette of the duet that portrays the setting of a relationship the good and the bad. It is spiritual in a sense that it is raw, hidden from

the body and brought out into a physical from by the dancers. I found that I was easily able to relate and each heavy movements of the dancers really moved my heart as if they were actually speaking. Since the dance vignette was depicting a story about love, it is very easy to relate to the soul or the spirit. It was pure raw emotion, easily exploitable being played from the soul by these two dancers. 3) The dance vignette that appealed to me the most is the fourth dance vignette performed

by all girls. The timing of the music, the silence, the choreography, the whole performance seemed perfect in my opinion. There were these moments of silence that made my heart beat faster it was as if I was watching perfection personified. It was my first time watching ballet, the idea of the dancers doing pirouettes did not appeal to me. But after watching this performance I started to crave more to watch the dancers move elegantly. Their dresses made them appear as if they were a group of sly fox, and their facial expression were mute. The dancers were simply beautiful, not a shallow beauty but it was as if they were beauty itself when they danced. Although until now the performances message is still a question mark for me. When the dancers broke up into two groups I felt as if it was trying to send a message but it didnt sink into me. I still enjoyed the performance, the only negative thing I found is that it was too short, it left me looking for more.