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AUDIENCE REVIEW: Queens Outdoor Dance Festival: Chutzpah Dance in "Mesh"

Company:
Chutzpah Dance

Performance Date:
October 8, 2023

Freeform Review:

Chutzpah Dance is a dynamic, emerging contemporary dance company that people should keep an eye on.

On Sunday, October 8th, I attended the Queens Outdoor Dance Festival hosted by Salvatore Larussa Dance Theatre, where I got to witness the premiere of a new piece Mesh performed by a quartet of dancers from Chutzpah Dance, that meshed the styles of contemporary and tap.

The dance started with a soloist sway gaining bigger moves every time she circled. You never knew when her next move was going to begin so it kept you on the edge of your seat, anticipating what was to come next until the surprise of a leg going up and the movement began. The anticipation was a tad too long for me without having full movement but it also added to the surprise of the change in dynamic. That is what a good dance does — continuously pulls the audience back in with every shift leaving very little time to get bored. It was mesmerizing, the fluidity of movement along with a soundtrack of ambience. It was almost like being caught in a trance and then two more dancers entered, entangled within each other meshing movements along with the addition of tapping which intrigued me even more. It was great use of contact and partner work which I have not seen since the pandemic in contemporary dance at festivals.

Then the soloist joined the duet and repeated her solo movements, but this time meshing with the duet aiding with beautiful lifts. The dancers made their way to the tapper almost being put under a spell and there was one moment that stood out where the tapper pulled one of the dancers onto her back. I wish there was more of that type of interaction between styles throughout the piece but it was definitely a part to remember. Then the mesmerizing fluid movements change into a n explosion of  jumps and turns, showing the gorgeous technique and full body movement of the dancers while hearing clear tapping. Then the dancers began to slow and smallen the movements until they went back to their first move of the piece carrying the soloist all the way off the stage as the tapping and music started fading in the distance. The piece was strong in creativity, surprises and dynamics which made it very successful.

I cannot wait until the next time I get to witness the beauty that is the Chutzpah Dance dancers but if you are in the Philadelphia area the weekend November 18th and 19th go watch this trance like piece being presented at the Koresh Showcase Series and follow @chutzpahdance on instagram.