review of choreography competition part 1

The sanspointe piece in choreography finals was nothing short of brilliant and it won the modern category. This was absolutely the best year for choreography in almost every way.

I say almost because there were only two of three tap mics working at all and only one working enough to matter. For those of you who are unaware, tap performed in a large concert hall requires some manner of amplification to be heard well by everyone in said concert hall. The mics on that stage used to pick up for the whole stage reasonably well, but they've been getting worse and worse as the years went on. In pre-lims this year, the stage was very quiet, but it wasn't impossible to hear. In finals, there was a group of 12 girls on stage tapping, I was only about 6-8 rows back from the stage, and I could barely hear them.

Anyways, that a civic center and/or panoply organization issue that has nothing to do with the brilliance of choreographers or judges, which are the two things making me say this was the best year ever. The judges this year were at the honorable mention performances and they stood up on stage to hug/shake hands with all of the winning choreographers. In the over twenty years I have attended the Panoply choreography competition, I have never seen the judges do either of these things, and neither has my mom, who has attended more than I have. They also picked the pieces that it made sense for them to pick. Sure, dance is a subjective thing, but there are a few clear guidelines
that make up the basics of good choreography. I have many times seen pieces without said elements, which were also generally boring and un-artistic on top of that, make it into finals or even win over pieces that clearly demonstrated these basics and were interesting and very artistic. This year, both their knowledge and appreciation for artistry showed through. All I could say was Hallellujah!

The main part of what made this year so amazing was the Choregraphy. This was by far some of the most innovative, intriguing, engaging and brilliant choreography I have ever seen in any venue, with few exceptions (sorry, it's hard to beat Pilobolous unless you are Pilobolus). Honestly, that was as good as any show I've paid $40 or more to see. I breathed sighs of relief, I was in tears, I sat slacked jawed, I wanted to jump out of my set and dance, and I was mesmerized at different points in the show. I have always loved panoply choreography competition, and I always encourage people to go, but this year floored me.

In the next few days, I'll try to post a review of each of the category winners. These guys deserve some recognition.