I love hearing people's reactions to their first time at a dance performance.  When I was in college, I heard these initial thoughts pretty frequently.  I performed ballet, modern, and contemporary dance - performances that some students thought sounded either intimidating, boring, or maybe a little of both.

"I don't know if I'm cultured enough for that," a classmate told me after I invited him to one of my shows.  To my surprise, even the most skeptical theater goer, like that guy, had something relevant or enthusiastic to say after performances.  The standard comments were about the physicality of the performers..."That guy was jacked"..."How is she so flexible?"  However, most reactions went beyond that.  Some people commented on how they loved the use of lighting, discussed how the music made them feel, or explained what they thought was the intent of a piece.  Others showed interest by asking questions, such as, "So...How do you guys practice for that?"

There's no "cultured enough" minimal threshold for dance.  If audience members approach dance with a sense of inquiry and respect, as all my peers did, they're sure to be "cultured enough" to come away feeling at least a little inspired and with something relevant to discuss.

However, knowing more about a production inevitably leads to greater enjoyment of it.  If you went to an art museum and viewed all the paintings without reading any of the information placards next to them, you would not get as much out of your experience.  Similarly, attending a dance performance with a little more information, or a little more willingness to learn, allows audience members to get more out of what they saw.

Intellectual interest is vital to dance’s survival.  It reveals that dance is a rich field - a multi-faceted performing art.  Reflection on a dance performance can be an exploration of more than just movement and choreography; it can be a discussion of how the dancer and the choreography relate to the music, how the costumes inform the visual presentation of mood or plot, or, in many cases, how history, politics, and literature have played a role in the dance production.

In any case, ARB is certainly encouraging its audiences to watch, talk about, and learn about dance.  ARB’s upcoming On Pointe, “Watching and Talking About Dance”, specifically showcases and encourages thoughtful discourse about it.  At this event, excerpts of ARB's repertoire will be shown, and then multiple perspectives will provide eye-opening ideas with which to watch. Douglas Martin will reveal the artistic motivations behind movements.  Michael Robertson, former dance critic and current Professor of English at The College of New Jersey, and Barbara Figge Fox, a Princeton-based dance critic, will lend interesting perspectives to the panel.  I'm really looking forward to hearing their thoughts and the way they talk about dance.

Everyone is welcome and "cultured enough".  Hope to see you there!