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AUDIENCE REVIEW: "Queens Informal" by Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre and Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theatre

Company:
Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre and Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theatre

Performance Date:
November 11, 2021

Freeform Review:

Queens Informal was presented by Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre and Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theatre and produced at Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theatre studios. The setting was quite informal yet with great COVID precautious taken place, which was greatly appreciated due to the intimacy of the performance.

Four pieces were on the program, each with its artistic expressions. “ZuiZui Zukkorobashi” choreographed and performed by Yu Fujiwara and Misaki Hayama took us into the story of a Japanese childhood experience. Although I didn’t know about this game prior to the performance, I still felt the joy and the friendship portrayed by the piece.

“Live Update” choreographed by Luca Villa and performed by Sara Grassi, Maria Gracia Perez Munos, and Divieta Sahajwala was a vibrant theatrical piece that portrayed a marriage/murder story. Spoken words, singing, and lots of acting was utilized. The dancers were very talented and executed it well. I only wished it was slightly less literal and gives us a bit more sense of mystery.

“Happy Memories” by Axons Dance Theatre choreographed and performed by Joan Liu combined traditional Asian dance gestures with ballet technique. I felt I was observing Liu’s dreams as she goes from one memory to another memory. There was a distinct sense of Liu running through rolling hills as she goes about her memory. When I later found out that one of the questions being asked for this piece’s feedback was “If you were to describe this piece as a landscape, what would it be?”, I was pleasantly surprised.

“Untitlted” choreographed by Jill Moshman and performed by Paulina Meneses, Erica Moshman, and Alynn Parola was a contemporary piece that played with relationships between the dancers and space. I found out later that the dancers have only been dancing together for a very short time. It was a job well done!

Thank you, Billy Blanken and Salvatore LaRussa, for giving us the opportunity for an intimate evening to observe these four choreographers’ works and see that the creativity juice flowing!

Author:
Xuan Yi

Website:
https://www.sldt.org/