Let me start out by saying I have been a dancer at times in my life. I'm on a bit of a hiatus right now but trained/performed as recently as five months ago so I'd like to say I have a honed appreciation for the art. And I still like to attend performances. That said, Derek found this random listing on City Pages.com for a free performance at the Fitz. Ballet Minnesota + hip hop act Desadomna and Carnage. Huh? Intrigued, we headed over to claim our free tickets and enjoy a potentially awesome show.
By the way, thanks for mentioning my gimpiness, Derek...yep, we had good seats thanks to my compromised mobility.
Anyway, the first act was fine...albeit very classical, no hip hop. I soon learned that Ballet Minnesota is a very fine group of technically sound, well-trained teenage ballerinas. And that was my biggest hang up. I was expecting adults, and I watched younger females -- talented, no less, but young. Here's the thing: you can be great, technically, but if you're young, chances are you don't have the maturity or performance skills of an older counterpart. The result was a show that had the feel of a really awesome dance school recital. The choreography was beautiful, the dancers were beautiful, and the performance was technically-sound, but it lacked the maturity to bring it up to a professional-level performance.
The highlight was rapper Desdamona and beat boxer Carnage, the hip hop duo also known as Il Chemistry. You can read about the show's premise of hip hop meets ballet here. Unfortunately or fortunately -- I guess whatever way you look at it -- this highlight came in the last 15 minutes of a two-hour show. The dancers traded the recorded music that had guided their movements for the majority of the show for the sounds of Il Chemistry -- rhythmic poems and beat-boxing. Funny thing, I stopped watching the dancers and just focused on Il Chemistry...their stage presence was overpowering. Desdamona's lyrics were clever, thoughtful and powerful -- a true, strong woman! -- and they fluctuated between rapping and singing. Her singing voice was as rich and soulful as the lyrics themselves. Carnage's beat boxing was equally incredible. This is one act I want to see more of in the future.
According to her Web site, Desdamona has a new CD ("The Source"). I'll have to check that out. Not sure when her next show is...Apparently she just performed at Mayda's CD release show on Oct. 18 at the Varsity. Anyway, she's an artist I'd go see again.
Back to ballet...good dancers, decent show -- but glad it was free. I'll save my money for other upcoming dance performances, including TU Dance, James Sewell and the Zenon Company.
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