enCounter Culture

This week I attended enCounter Culture, called a “showcase of hip-hop dance” by the program’s host, and on the whole I was disappointed.  But since I believe the scope of this entry is too small to incorporate a discussion of every performance--there were eight--I will focus my response on two groups that struck me as (somewhat) representative of the show in general.

Armageddon Crew was a duo comprised of two male breakdancers, one that was clearly accomplished and another that appeared a little less skilled--but still skilled.  Talent wasn’t lacking in their performance, but the two dancers did fall short of the goals articulated in their pre-show description: “Beware!  There is no limit to Armageddon Crew’s dance style.  Movement is just a means...Armageddon is the end.”  Did the dancers go beyond their means--movement--and accomplish something further--an end?  (Before their performance I would have assumed that “Armageddon” meant some sort of meaningful climax that would draw the dance together or make a statement or establish a purpose (beyond movement) or at least make the crowd go silent for a moment.)  The duo, however, redefined even the term Armageddon, though not in the way that I suspect they wished to.  Their Armageddon was simply another dance move--the superior breakdancer spun on his side rather than on his head--added to a list of tricks that indubitably reflected skill and practice, but were nothing more than tricks that reflected skill and practice.  The moves seemed to be lined up one after another with no transition other than a walk back across the stage; with no progression other than a monotonous, random change of which limb became the axis-of-spin.  This performance’s lack of coherence earned its participants plenty of hearty clapping, but very little awe, and definitely no Armageddon.

dv8, the final group of performers, revealed another combination of solid talent but little achievement.  While their musical selections were fantastic, this accomplishment detracted from their performance as much as it contributed: Dan and I found ourselves distracted by the music from the dancing itself.  Moreover, the dancers did not use the music to accomplish a higher goal--a splendid visualization of the music, or an intense correspondence from sound to movement.  Rather, they danced merely to the tempo of the music, with sometimes impressive bends, twists and changes of position, but didn’t move beyond the music’s tempo to its more sophisticated qualities.  One could say that they danced to the music, but not with it.

These two performances lacked an intangible quality that I can best call “concept.”  While the components were there, I was left wondering how such talent could be put to better use, or infused with more creativity.  On the other hand--these concerns are nothing a few new and intriguing members can’t fix.