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PROTIP # 20

Seeing Dance with a Critic’s Eye

In this Pro-Tip, hear from professional dance critics, Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa and DIYDancer and Lauren Warnecke of The Chicago Tribune and See Chicago Dance to see how they approach writing their dance critiques!

What *is* dance criticism?

• Typically formatted in first or third person essay format, but occasionally presented in other formats

• Purposes:

  • To inform (who, what, when, where, why)

  • To educate (on dance to the general public)

  • To evaluate (did the work achieve what it promised?)

  • To interpret/analyze

What do dance critics see and look for?

• Movement quality: tempo/rhythm, expansiveness vs something more internal, technical or more “pedestrian”, particular style/technique or more eclectic

• “Stage picture”: formations, use of the performance space, entrances/exits, number of dancers

• Structure: beginning/ending, length, overall energy/tone/“vibe” of a work; sequencing of sections and transitions between them

• Supporting technical elements: music, costuming, lighting/projections, props, scenery (a work’s “atmosphere”)

Example: William Forsythe’s N.N.N.N.

The “Bigger Picture”

• Considering movement quality, “stage picture,” structure, and supporting aesthetic elements, is there an evident meaning, message or theme in the work?

• Is the work “successful” in its apparent intent?

• What response does it elicit in you as a human?

• How does the work fit into a wider context (locally, nationally, socially, politically, historically, etc.)?

Example: Travis Wall’s Strange Fruit

Comments, questions, or just want to say hi?
Kathryn Boland: kb1moves@gmail.com
Lauren Warnecke: lauren.warnecke@gmail.com

Missed out on the last few ProTips? No worries! Look back on past ProTips at anytime here!

Kathryn Boland is a writer, dancer, movement educator, and non-profit administrator based in Rhode Island. She holds a BA in Dance from The George Washington University and an MA in Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University, and is also a certified yoga instructor. She enjoys having connections in dance circles in Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Rhode Island, and beyond. Professionally, she writes mainly about dance and yoga (Dance Informa, YogaU Online). She also offers communications consulting for performing artists, and has a YouTube show called "Move for a Movement", that spotlights various artists doing great work at the intersection of dance and social justice. She's also currently working on a book about dance forms evolving in the context of "othering"

Lauren Warnecke is the editor of See Chicago Dance and dance contributor to the Chicago Tribune. She covers dance across the Midwest and writes regularly for Dance Magazine and Pointe. Lauren holds degrees in dance and kinesiology. Her academic writing has been published in Agenda and presented at the National Dance Education Organization and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Lauren co-facilitated dance writing intensives in Chicago and Durban, South Africa. Writing residencies include the National Center for Choreography, Bates Dance Festival and JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience.