Today’s event was an early afternoon showing of LMA’s end-of-year Dance Performances from their 1st, 2nd and 3rd years students. First thing first, these are not professional dancers, but students learning how to perfect the artform of movement and dance. – That said however, each and every one of them should be commended and praised for having the guts to get up on a stage and perform in front of a live audience, their first one in more than two years thanks to the CoVID Pandemic. The total length of the performance was supposed to be around 90 minutes but in the end it was closer to two hours of performance time with a fifteen minute break in the middle.
There was a wide range of performer talent on show during the performance. Typically the first years tend to dance quicker routines with more frantic motion whereas the third years tend to showcase more control when performing together as an ensemble. A lot of the time, throughout the different pieces of choreography, I noticed similar themes to those used when I used to frequent this world back in the day. I imagine for all intents and purposes, when teaching dancers to dance, there are some set-pieces that then become inserted into performances. There was one token male dancer mixed in with the rest of the female talent. I have to say that individually, the performers were high-energy and any mistakes or mis-steps that were made were quickly brushed aside with poise and confidence. It would have at points have been easy to forget that these are not students learning the art of dance. Some of the choreography was top notch and professional, and to that end it would have been nice to have an idea, or introduction to each piece, including choreography credits. Unfortunately no program or credit of any kind was given.
The choice of music to accompany the movement in some pieces was questionable. It felt sometimes like it was a case of “oh this is a good piece of music, lets create a dance around this”, rather than allowing the music to compliment the movement. This is.. a common practice for schools of dance these days, but is potentially a negative for the performers who will discover this the hard way if they get to follow their dreams and become picked up by a talented dance company following their studies. Some pieces were stronger than others in this sense. Some styles such as Ballet and Jazz were very much musically lead in a very professional way.
I would have liked to have seen more solo performances and smaller group performances rather than quite so many full ensemble dances. There was at times simply too many performers on the stage and it unfortunately took away some of the spectacle of movement as there was visually too much going on on stage to be able to focus on one dancer or element. It was however refreshing to see many different body types performing together without any issues at all. Sometimes the role of a “dancer” can become extremely typecast when there is beauty and entertainment in all shapes and sizes. Nobody on the stage was held back by any physical attributes or seemed incapable of keeping up the tempo with the rest of the troupe. Where the ensemble was required to stay in sequence in step with each other, it happened seamlessly for the most part.
It would be unfair to judge this performance to the same standards as I hold professional dance company performances, but aside from some of the more simplistic movement sequences and choreography, it would almost be unfair not to judge them to the same or similar standards. Overall, an enjoyable afternoon of dance, to which I invited with me my two aunts. The venue was not full but most of the rows and seats were occupied, possibly mostly by relatives of those performing, from the reactions and support of the crowd, but regardless, an enjoyable afternoon performance from some incredibly talented young students.
