On Tuesday, October 22, the top ten dancers from the competition show So You Think You Can Dance performed live in Durham at DPAC. The tickets, while slightly expensive at $60.00, were well worth every penny. I would most definitely go again.
I was surprised how sophisticated the venue was; I felt as if I needed to rush back home to change out of my jeans and into a classy dress. There were two flights of stairs lined with glass railings, and the floor a strong red carpet. There were many concessions, but the best was the smell of a cinnamon twist with the smell of kettle corn.
The performance rolled out in full swing with a classy jazz number played up with all top ten dancers from the show trickling through the audience rows–a trick that time and time again, without fail, creates an unparalleled frenzy within the crowd.
Each dance seamlessly stitched into the next, allowing the audience to truly absorb each performance without having to wait in boredom for the next one to start. I was never bored. Not once.
One dance in particular stood out to me. The male dancers had performed it on the TV show, but the choreographer Christopher Scott decided to “spice it up” for the tour by extending the length of the dance and incorporating the female dancers. The song alone, “Sand” by Nathan Lanier, was awe-inspiring.
The dance was breathtaking. Scott added an interesting element–sand. One by one, each dancer walked on stage with conviction, but then would suddenly stop as if hit by an invisible wall. Each dancer held a cup of sand and poured it onto the stage. As they moved through the dance, they manipulated the sand in such interesting and unique ways I never would have been able to think of.
It was amazing.
Watching these brilliant dancers through the metal box in the living room is one thing, but seeing them on stage is surreal. Unlike watching it on TV where the camera forces you to see whatever it sees, I could watch the performances as the choreographer intended. I could see what the creator had envisioned when making the dance by seeing the dance as a whole instead of zooming in on each individual performer.
I will never forget the experience. It has been one of the best of my life.
