Dance Analysis Of Before You Are, By Lindsay Peterson

At Dixie State University’s Dance Program’s Student Concert, there was a variety of different styles of dancing used as well as a variety of themes portrayed through the dances. Each dance brought brought to life a new and distinct use of movement, performance quality, and themes on stage. I am choosing to discuss two dances that dealt with a sort of realness that I easily related to, Before You Go, by Shellie Warr, and You Are, by Lindsay Peterson. These two pieces are centered around real life scenarios or feelings and can be easily related to by any audience member. I will look at the movement vocabulary, choreographic structures of the piece, production elements, performance quality, the use of time, space, and energy and of course the

Five dancers in white dresses and black masks flooded the stage using a variety of personal movement in a modern style but we're all connected by their breath and smooth fluid movement all around the stage. The dancers came together in certain moments to create this group connectivity moment that was very powerful. This piece used the instrumental and spoken word as music, the poem recited over the instrumental music talked about the demands on us as individuals to fit into these ridiculous beauty standards and expectations brought on by social media and celebrities. It focused on our worth as human beings and how it's absurd for us to judge our worth based on our looks or in comparison to the likes of others. One by one, each dancer took off their mask and began to accept themselves, one mask still remained but with help from the other dancers and a light within the last dancer was able to accept herself. In the end every dancer had rid themselves of their masks, or insecurities, and their unrealistic standards and learned to accept themselves for who they really were. This piece is very relatable, everyone has felt worthless, at least once in their lives, every person has felt like they just aren't good enough, and every person has wanted to change themselves because of the ludicrous beauty standards placed on us starting at such a young age. We need to create a society where we are taught to love and accept ourselves for who we are, the theme of this piece is clearly a dig at our society and how it needs to change. We need to learn to accept diversity and individualism, if we are ever going to be able to fully accept ourselves and those around