Anita Cheung

Theater R1A
August 29, 2012
Response 1: Close Analysis
White Nights

For your first response, please write a paragraph (approximately 100-150 words) of Stage 1 Dance
Analysis of either a short section of Merce Cunningham's "Split Sides" or the duet from "White Nights"
that we watched in class (available on YouTube; type in White Nights duet).

Try to include as much detail as possible, using as reference the chart on p118 of chapter 6 of the
Adshead. Try to steer clear of interpretation and evaluation. Use the clearest and richest prose possible to
help your reader "see" the dance.

A suave glide, a purposeful tap, an emphatic beatsuch are the components to a subtle, yet
energetic rivalry between master and student of the dancing duo, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory
Hines, in White Nights. A scintillating composite of jazz and ballet, the music, the choreography, and
the atmosphere lends to the idea that the pupil has mastered the art.
The dance, mirroring the maturation of a nestling, begins as a tentative trial in which the student,
Mikhail Baryshnikov, gauges the reaction of his master, Gregory Hines. Each step, each movement is
slow, calculating, and cautious. Each move requires thought and consideration, an attitude in the dance
that is reinforced by the simplicity of harmony in the music. As if for confirmation, Baryshnikov only
turns to Hines when he is looked upon, and, however closely, follows his master in executing his moves.
As the intensity in music gradually augments, the pupil gains confidence, expands his range,
leads rather than follows and commits to long strides, wide jumps, and great, involved twists. With each
passing beat, Baryshnikov gathers force, momentum, and drive as he surpasses Hines in terms of the
timeliness of performing moves. Even the emphasis of Baryshnikov in his dark attire versus the lightcolored attire of Hines and the pasty-hued walls, place the spotlight on Baryshnikovs transformation
from apprentice to master.

Anita Cheung
Theater R1A
August 29, 2012

The music opens, a mild and rolling beat, cuing the two dancers, Mikhail Baryshnikov in his
black attire, and Gregory Hines, in his lighter one. Moving out from a focus on the twos nonchalant
countenances, a swift and emphatic twist-step combination begins the pairs duet. As Baryshnikov and
Hines proceed with a few light steps, shared glances, and arms in a preparatory position, the dance
heightens in activity. The strides grow quicker; the distance traveled, farther; the arms become more
mobile. The range of the dancers grows, the space utilized expands as the dancers make their rounds
about the perimeter of the dance floor. Transitioning into the next phase, the dancers spin and jump in the
air, take a powerful and proud lunge, and the attitude shifts. The music quickens, the steps gather
sharpness, the footwork becomes more complex and networked, the jumps higher, added spins more
vigorous, the kicks lengthier, even to the point that Baryshnikovs hair is set into motion. And yet, the
climax has yet to be reached. The vivacity in the dance is intensified as the duo implants martial arts
stances into their routine and chase one another in wide, synchronized strides. As the music returns to its
initial level of bottled energy, the dance slows, the ring shrinks, and the dancers come to a slow, suave,
striding stop.