Motion (noun) - Power of movement. To change place or position.
"Perpetual Motion" (show) - Four nights of mind-blowing contemporary ballet backed by Pittsburgh's finest garage rock trio.
I had the pleasure of attending the third night of Pittsburgh's own Texture Contemporary Ballet's "Perpetual Motion" series this evening at the New Hazlett Theater in North Side, and I must say- it blew my mind. The group's newest collection of uniquely choreographed routines did something to me that's never been done before (besides making me, well, enjoy watching ballet of any kind.)
It shut me up.
I'll be the first to admit- When my high school's dance team performed at pep rallies (*cringe*), I turned into the blabbering fool who was always sure to voice his disgust. "This is horrid." "All they are doing is moving their bodies." "I can do that."
How naive I was.
The routines in "Perpetual Motion" are brilliant. When picked apart and separated, the dances are sophisticated and intricately complex, but the troupe, led by founder and artistic director Alan Obuzor, makes them look simple. And, heck, it's an injustice for me to call what I saw tonight "dance." It's art. Expression. Magic. Beauty.
The performance, divided into four segments (Mulberry Way, Wash, Broken Mirror, MOIP), began with an energetic piece to Elbow's "Grounds for Divorce," which, needless to say, rocks.
Then, after a handful of other impressive routines to stereo tracks (including a beautiful dance to Bon Iver's "Wash"), the group brought out local rockers Meeting of Important People to take it up a notch- literally. On a platform 40 feet above the stage, MOIP cycled through 11 of their finest jams while Texture Ballet followed every beat of the drum.
It was truly incredible. Like nothing I have ever seen before. Here's a clip from rehearsal (videotaping the actual performance was frowned upon) -
On top of that, I can't say enough about how classy both groups are. Members of Texture Ballet took questions after the performance, and you could tell they are humbled by the opportunity to show their art to such a large audience. And MOIP- I could dedicate a whole 'nother blog to them. Always a pleasure to be around, and always a pleasure to listen to. Like family to me.
The last show is tomorrow at 2 P.M. You can purchase tickets here. Also, keep up with both groups by heading to the following:
Texture Ballet - Facebook - Twitter
Meeting of Important People - Facebook - Twitter
