In 1909, poet F. T. Martinetti and friends formed a group and began an artistic movement known as Italian Futurism. The Futurists were an interesting group for a number of reasons. First was their manifesto, denying the past and demanding that the public look at contemporary Italian art. Second was the group's composition - unlike many art movements, writers, painters, sculptors and musicians all worked together in a single group. And third, perhaps because of the group's composition, the Futurists were interested in a crossover of arts - working with paint as well as poetry, or music as well as sculpture, and recognizing that these are two very distinct media.
Though their denial of the past was noble, in truth, the Futurists relied on old vocabulary and used it in new ways. This is the essence of modern art: to say or do something new with conventional means. And modern dance is no different from any other modern art form. It takes ballet and attempts to bring it back to the earth, removing the shoes, leaving behind the tutus. The dance is grounded, vibrant, passionate, even violent, everything for which the Futurists stood.
On Thursday evening, the University Dance Company brought to stage its modern dance performance, TanzMusik. The dance was accompanied by the University Symphony Orchestra, and the combination of the two would have made Martinetti proud.
The University Symphony Orchestra brilliantly played the works of established German composers, very much ballet music, while the Dance Company performed in a manner antithetical to what one might expect (i.e. not ballet), distinguishing the music and dances as separate, yet at the same time exquisitely interpreting the music.
The first piece of the evening was called "Untitled," danced to Franz Scubert's Symphony No. 8 in B Minor. The piece started in silence, with two women running around on stage. As they ran off, the first movement began, featuring male dancers. Throughout the piece the genders remain separate, never dancing together, in keeping with the choreographer's interpretation of the oppositional pulls heard throughout the piece. The departure from ballet was clear, seen especially in the major sections. The dance was smooth, then choppy, clear, then abstruse.
The piece came to an end with a single female, standing in the darkness, in silence, which was broken by the thundering applause of the audience.
The second piece, "Seriouso," now and then was accompanied by Felix Mendelssohn's Variations Sérieuses in D Minor, Op. 54, played on solo piano. In spite of its title, this was a lighthearted and playful piece, analyzing love in the 19th and 20th centuries, ending with a look towards the 21st. This short piece was comical, as the audience watched four couples all engaged in the process of yearning and flirtation. The dancers were intriguing, turning such banal activities as jogging, reading the newspaper and talking on the phone into dance. The piece was much enjoyed by the audience as well, which laughed throughout and clapped loudly at the end of the piece.
After a brief intermission came an all female number, "Waltzscape," by Stephen Rush. The piece dealt with the introduction of the waltz into 19th century society, though the waltz was never actually danced in the piece.
When originally introduced, the waltz was thought to be shocking and provocative, entirely too passionate for respectable people. Waltzscape takes that passion and celebrates it throughout time, as the women dance in a Caribbean style at some points and even do the acclaimed Roger Rabbit from a decade fondly remembered. The piece was comical, like its predecessor, and vibrant, again drawing the enthusiastic applause of the audience.
The final piece of the evening was Paul Taylor's "Esplanade." The piece was performed to J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto in E Major and also his D Minor Concerto for Two Violins, featuring USO soloists. This dance first premiered in 1975 and was loved by critics and audiences alike. The same is true nearly 25 years later. Esplanade was a great success, bringing a remarkable end to a remarkable evening of music and dance.
Like modern art, such as that of the Futurists, modern dance is oftentimes difficult to understand, yet always intriguing to see. And just as modern art is critical and even somewhat logical in the history of art, so is modern dance to its own history, making Tanzmusik of historical significance.
Dancers perform in "TanzMusik" at the Power Center.