Amjad by La La La Human Steps at BAM

I was not quite sure what to expect from Amjad (particularly after reading the thrashing it got in the New York Times) and I left not quite sure what to make of it. The dancers were certainly all very talented, particularly Dominic Santia (who my sister has met). Santia had two of the best sequences in the piece - a duet with another male dancer that was very romantic and a graceful solo on point shoes (not easy to do!) to Nutcracker-esque music. The music was also a beautiful mix of themes inspired from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and the Nutcracker and, as the Times reviewer pointed out, if I had closed my eyes and just listened to the music that would have been enjoyable enough.

The production as a whole is the part that puzzled me. A lot of the choreography seemed repetitive and since the piece was an hour and a half, it started to get a little tired and tiring (I had had a long day). It was also a little slow to start - the piece began with three round video screens which projected images of round white beads and what looked like bloody muscle tissue. Those images kept coming back during the piece and I found them distracting and I did not understand what purpose they served. The video screens also showed images of dancers in brambles and while I at least got the Sleeping Beauty reference there, I'm not quite sure why it was necessary. The audience didn't seem to mind however - the company was met with enthusiastic applause.

I would like to see the dancers again, possibly in a more coherent piece. I hope they come around again soon. In the meantime, check out BAM's promotional video for Amjad and see what you think.