Outside Dance Critique

Cassidy Fields
12/18/16

For my dance critique, I saw Ragsdale high school's winter dance concert
December 16th at 7:30PM. The show was held in the auditorium of the high school
which was surprisingly really nice. Recognizing that most of the students in this show
had never danced before, I was extremely excited and intrigued.
The first number was a classical ballet piece entitled The Waltz Of The
Snowflakes. All of the dancers in the dance department were included in this piece,
which totaled to over eighty dancers. They do not have the funding to purchase
costumes, so they wore a base leotard and as a project in class one day made tutus.
The choreography was kept simple however made interesting by the the use of different
lines and formations. Most of the students were beginners, so the use of turnout and
overall technique was not the strongest. Yet most of the dancers looked like they were
enjoying participating. Towards the end of the piece, the music cut out. At first the
dancers looked a little shook but kept going with the movement. Showing a level of
professionalism unexpected from first time performers. This dance clearly showed that
they were not only learning technique but dance etiquette.
The third piece in the show entitled All of the lights. This was a funky jazz
number and was one of my favorites. The piece started off with a dancer who obviously
had more experience and technical training. She executed more advanced movements
such as fouettes and grande jetes. The piece included four young male dancers that
showed some hip hop moves that gave the piece an energetic and fun feel. There were
approximately twenty female dancers that danced some easy but eye pleasing moves,
such as pas de bourrees and battements. The dancers all wore red shirts and black

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Outside Dance Critique

Cassidy Fields
12/18/16

shorts looking uniform but individual. The piece gave a the kind of vibe that made you
want to get up and move with them.
My favorite piece was entitled Calabria 2007. It was a jazzy piece with a latin flare.
The piece started out with girls posing, and then a young male dancer walking through
the girls posing with them and changing their position. It then went into a fun set of
movements such as drags and kick ball changes. They were dressed like All of the
lights but instead with orange. The reasoning behind why this piece was my favorite
was because at a certain part of the dance all of the dancers left except for a few young
males and females who did a partnering section. There were lots of turns and dips
involved, showing a level of trust you wouldnt expect to see. This piece inspired me,
and now I want to take a latin class.
Overall I enjoyed Ragsdales winter concert.I feel the choreographer (Samantha
Strong) did an extraordinary job of choreographing to their strengths. Although they did
not have special effect lighting or extensive costumes, the enthusiasm of the performers
and audience made the show fun and entertaining. I am looking forward to seeing the
winter concert again next year to see their improvement in technique and movement
quality.

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