Bryttni Pugh

Tucker

DANC 1280-002

24 November 2015

UNCC Fall Dance Concert Critique

The intense energy emitting from the fifteen dancers and five drummers who performed

in Niche Faulkners Imurafama Sono: I dont love you anymore captivated my undivided

attention. As the main curtain was going out, one could see an orange background, like a sunset,

creating silhouettes of the performers. One of the dancers initiated sound by singing, and the

others quickly joined in whilst playing games such as peek-a-boo. The light was now blue, and

each person was made visible. They wore traditional West African clothing; one half or tribe

wore green, yellow, and blue headbands, crop tops and layered skirts while the other group wore

white, yellow, and blue, and the mediator, Hope, wore a long and layered lime green dress. They

gradually lowered the volume, but loud singing voices soon erupted, causing a chain reaction for

a particular stomping movement. Once all of the dancers were in unison, the sound transitioned

to the drummers upbeat rhythm.

The dancers did not lower their enthusiasm throughout the duration of the piece; they

only became more fierce and angry. Halfway through and at the end, one member from each

group fought. The red lights, slowing down of the drums, and the unbreakable eye contact

increased the friction between the two females. The hostile interaction between the two groups

supports the title of the piece because they didnt seem to be compatible until the very end where

they resolved any conflict and hugged. Hope could also not love the opposing sides anymore, as

she attempted to stop conflict; but, she seemed to give up, push them over, and walk off sassy.
 The rhythms of the drums were defined in the program as a tale of friendship, love, and

war through the use of Soko, a transition to manhood, and Dundunba, a mans skill and strength

in battle. I interpreted the piece as a community becoming one and then fighting to save their

homeland from destruction or further dispute. However, I am aware of the intention that the

choreographer had in mind. The switch from childhood games and songs to aggressiveness can

represent the transition to manhood; the two circles that were formed and were moving in

opposite directions could represent the battle because there was movement similar to that of

firing a gun. Additionally, the right angles of the arms showed defeat by the shaking of their

clenched fists and colorful feathers.

The vibrations of the drums were exceedingly powerful, and one could easily see the

positive effect the live music had on the performers and the audience. The drummers had time

for a solo and interacted with the audience by having them wave, shout, or clap. The intensity of

the dancers energy increased afterwards; and one could tell that they matched the bangs and

strikes on the djembes due to their aggressive pounding of the feet on the floor. Not dancing

along or not allowing the rhythm to flow within my body was difficult when the movement and

music were extremely rich.

I originally selected Faulkners piece because of its intensity and continuous West

African movement. By observing, I discovered that this is a style of dance that I am willing to

deeply look into, as it reminds me of the high energy and fast-paced movement I used to do in

hip-hop classes. Every night of the performance, the work did not fail to engage each member of

the audience, and the use of live music made connections stronger and struck the heart with

inevitable movement to the beat.