QC Dimensions Dance Prog

Dimensions

The performances in the production Dimensions stood for the physical and virtual realities that we have all become a part of  in the 21st century. Technology has become a part of all our lives no matter how much we deny it, in some ways, shapes, or forms. Each piece represented one of the many things going on in today’s society, whether it was something we needed, like peace, or something that we needed to fix, like pollution and global warming. There were multiple dancers involved in each piece and many things happening at once that you wouldn’t know where to look, it was hard to keep up but because of this you could tell that the audience was enthralled by what was happening on stage. Each movement was precise and in sync; after the initial reaction to the beginning of a new dance-which was usually confusion- the audience soon seemed to make the connection between the dance and their day to day lives.

The fourth piece, Soul Close, Soul Far, to me seemed to be the most relatable as it talked about cellphones and how people, mainly the younger generation, are perceived as addicted to them. I say cell phones because the person didn’t have a smartphone but a sidekick which is from the early 2000s. It starts off with one dancer walking on stage while on his sidekick and then going to sleep, soon after a group of hip hop dancers start dancing around him. One of the dancers then screams to get him to wake up. Once he’s awake they all continue to dance but right away the guys phone beeps and he begins to use it while the others dance. Such a simple scene clearly represents how many people in today’s world is hooked on technology, and probably how adults see our generation as“obsessed” with it. This then makes the rest of the dancers stop to try and get his attention, the same guy then yells again “WAKE UP!”. This leads to the beginning of the dance where he gets more involved with what is going on and starts to have fun. They all begin to dance together and taking turns free styling to 90s and early 2000s style music. The guy then goes back to sleep as the dancers leave the stage, he is then woken up for real this time by his phone going off, but instead of using it he takes it out of his pocket and places it on the floor. While the phone continues to ring he just walks and dances off stage towards the back.

 This reminded me of the feeling when I’ve been on my phone or watching TV for hours on end, and then I decide to stop and just have fun doing what I spent hours watching other people do online. It’s something that happens to many people, mainly those under 25. A vast majority are at home or on the bus binge-watching on tv shows or movies, trying to beat their high score, etc. Watching this piece reminded me of a lot of the things I missed out on when technology became so mobile, with smartphones and handheld games. Not only that but also all the times I did put my device down whether it was Nintendo DS or my iPhone 7, or when I stopped watching videos of people playing fun games at home and decided to come up with my own games.

The way we use technology is as if we’re in a video game and the only way to come out of this virtual world is to turn it off and put it down. Yes, information from all over the world is now not only in the palm of our hands but in our cars and glasses. It’s such a big part of our lives that we forget that we’re even able to turn them off. When the guy put the phone down and just danced away, I see myself doing that once the semester is over and just enjoy the holidays.