As I delve more deeply into the world of dance, I’m taking more of an interest in the “basics”. Seasoned dancers have advised me that an important way to improve yourself is to go to as many performances as possible. My current schedule doesn’t allow a whole lot of free evenings to go to the theater, but in the meantime, I can read about it.
I’ve started to read the dance reviews in the NYT and the Village Voice. Some of the articles I enjoy, and others I don’t. I’ve come to believe that a truly masterful dance critic is an artist themselves. Being able to translate not only a physical description of the music, sets, lighting, and music is a challenge in itself, but a good writer will also give you something more. This includes the emotions they feel, thoughts they were thinking during the performance, some historical background knowledge of the choreographer and/or dancers, beautiful adjectives, and a witty commentary.
So far, I’m really liking Deborah Jowitt’s writing for the Village Voice:
On Momix: “My daydream begins like this: One of the dancers is working out on an exercise ball; losing her equilibrium, she sticks out one leg in a fetching way to stabilize herself. “Hey, that’s great,” says someone. “How’dja do it?””
In response to Sara Rudner’s Dancing-On-View: “Someone mentions the hardness of the folding chairs; I don’t notice it. We’re sitting in a beautiful high-ceilinged studio with windows facing the sunset (lighting by God, with help from Aaron Copp).”
On Urban Bush Women: “I defy any female to walk out of a theater after seeing the Urban Bush Women perform and not feel her hips swinging more than usual as she strides along. So juicily do the dancers in Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s company project empowerment, self-esteem, and strength under duress that after every dance, you want to cheer.“
A Time to Dance 
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June 28, 2007 at 1:56 pm
intlxpatr
This is my favorite entry so far in June. And I love the review on Urban Bush Women!
October 8, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Going back in the ATTD Time Machine « A Time to Dance
[…] sources to keep my blog interesting and informative, and to enhance my own background knowledge. Discovering dance criticism chronicles my first serious foray into reading written impressions of dance. I knew I needed to […]
October 8, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Carl
Very great entry. I’ve been thinking about dance criticism quite a bit recently after having just returned from one of the premier lindy hop events in the world and started reviewing it in my blog. I’m interested how one would go about critiquing improvisational dance versus a choreographed piece.
October 8, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Maria
Carl, I’ll be curious to see how you deal with that challenge. I’ve never thought to review improvised social dance because it’s more something I do for myself. And still, there are some people that have such incredible style and improvisational ability that it would be great to put that movement quality into words. It’s not swing, but you might want to check out some of the coverage from the DC Improv Festival, which Doug Fox did a nice job of pulling together on his blog. Still, with something like improvisational modern dance, a lot of it seems to be the experience of the viewer and every viewer may have a completely different experience or happen on the piece at a different time when different things are going on. I tried to focus on what the motivating emotion or message was in addition to how I experienced it.
October 10, 2007 at 3:36 pm
tonya
Oh so funny you should post this now (or return to it actually; I hadn’t read it before, so I’m glad!) I’m just so upset with the world of dance criticism lately — posted about it yesterday; critics trashing everything, demeaning anything with any social element as “populist,” the attacks on the dance shows on TV, and critics just not trying to look very closely into what makes a performance work or not at all. I just feel like so often there’s meaning there that I want to understand and there’s no one to help me grasp it. That to me is what a good critic is — I totally agree a critic is his/her own kind of artist. I feel they should not just describe what they saw but analyze it in a way that’s meaningful to the audience and that perhaps sheds light on an aspect of the art. It probably does make sense to have a favorite rather than expecting everyone to be perfect, and I’m feeling badly for ripping the critic I did — I guess everyone has someone who speaks to them more. I’ll definitely try Jowitt! Thanks!
October 12, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Maria
Tonya, I’m glad this was timely for you!! I find certain critics hard to read. Since I’m a dance criticism newbie it’s easier for me to start in bite-size pieces. One critic at a time… I have to admit though that Macaulay is kind of fun to read in the same way that Perez Hilton is. Deliciously snarky but makes you feel mean and dirty inside at the same time.
April 4, 2008 at 9:26 am
a sad day in dance criticism « A Time to Dance
[…] reading. She is witty, observative of subtlety, and has a lovely way with the English language. One of my first posts on this blog was about her. As I develop in my own dance writing, I’ve been inspired by her […]