Tonight was the first concert in my subscription to the Kennedy Center’s contemporary dance season.  The Beijing Dance Theatre performed Haze.  Here’s a snippet from a performance earlier this summer:

Tonight’s performance, overall, was very beautiful, and there were some striking moments.  The themes of alienation and falling, however, became tiresome after a while — by the end I longed for more lyricism and stability.  The springy floor contributed to the message, but it also seemed to undermine the dancers’ ability to stay together — which may also have been part of the message, but sometimes it just came off as sloppy.

(When I failed to give a standing ovation, the woman next to me — who was clearly in raptures — asked me what I thought of the piece.  I told her I thought there was too much falling down.  She asked if I was a dancer and, when I said no, told me in a voice full of judgement just how difficult all that falling was to perform.  Pearls before swine, etc.)

I’m really excited about the rest of the contemporary dance season.  I had season’s tickets last year and saw some really beautiful performances (also some really strange ones).  This season promises to be even more fun, since this time a friend of mine from law school has gotten tickets with me, so I have someone to go with.  Plus, there are some new restaurants in the neighborhood that will make pre-theatre dinners much more enjoyable!  (Tonight we had some tasty kebabs, hummus and couscous at Roti.)