Girl at the Rock Shows

I still don’t quite understand how I got hooked into the Rhythmically Speaking world,, but after witnessing my third performance from this amazing local dance troupe, I’m done questioning it. Being at Amsterdam Bar & Hall on Sunday afternoon to catch one of their ‘The Jazz Standard(s)’ performances was easily one of the highlights of a super busy and amazing weekend.

I won’t keep you here long as it’s Monday and we all have a million things to do, so instead of giving you a long and drawn-out background, I will urge you to check out my previous articles about what Rhythmically “Speaking is. You can read about my first interaction with this group through my review of when they did “RadioBody” which was an interpretation of Radiohead songs. If that leaves you with some questions, feel free to continue reading about their “CHILL” performance, which was an ode to A Charlie Brown Christmas. From Radiohead to A Charlie Brown Christmas, I feel like this local and organic dance non-profit is always keeping me on my toes, and I always look forward to seeing what they’re up to.

This season was all about The Jazz Standard(s). We all know what jazz standards are but, just in case, a jazz standard, most plainly put, is one of those jazz songs that everyone and anyone seems to cover. It’s the type of song that, even if you claim to know nothing about Jazz, you know the song when you hear it. Some examples that were performed on Sunday included (but are not limited to) songs like “Summertime” by George Gershwin, “Footprints” by Wayne Shorter, and “So What” by Miles Davis. Although I ended up recognizing all of the songs performed solely because I grew up listening to nothing but Jazz thanks to my father, I loved the fact that knowing or not knowing these songs did not affect the amount of enjoyment you got out of this performance.

Before I get into the dancing, let me talk about how this performance differed from those I’ve seen from this group in the past. The biggest thing I noticed was the talking. There was more explanation and more backstory on what was happening between songs. Although I liked how this added an almost educational portion to the performance that was perfect for the few very young kids that were in the audience, it was a bit too guided for what I’ve come to know and love about this group. Dance, like music, is all up for interpretation. Although these little segments where the dancers would talk and explain what was going on didn’t change anything about how diverse the interpretation of this performance was, I just felt that it almost made the performance feel a bit too structured for me. That being said, this is far from a complaint. I think there are people in the audience who really appreciated the background and the talking, and I want to stress that it was well done, it just wasn’t my favorite part of the performance.

What was my favorite part of this performance, as is with every Rhythmically Speaking performance I see, is the organic nature of everything happening and the way that you get to watch music manifest as physical motions. I know that sounds deep but that’s truly what’s happening when you see this group of people. From the live band that is performing on stage to the way the dancers all seem to be doing their own things while somehow coming together as a group and performing together, it always leaves me floored. As director Erinn Liebhard mentioned at the beginning of the performance, Jazz and dance can look and sound like so many different things, and I feel that this program did an absolutely amazing job of demonstrating that.

Let’s go ahead and call out the elephant in the room. There’s really nothing original about the combination of dance and music (and jazz music specifically). There’s a particular groove to some jazz music that makes even the most rigid of humans move. What made this performance so special is the way that you see the individual dancers connect with the music. Whether they are connecting with just one note or a line of perfectly placed notes that fly through the air, you see that connection, and it’s truly a beautiful thing. I also like how it played on improv. We all know that improvisation is part of jazz music, and I think that seeing the dancers mirror that sense of organic expression really highlights the performance as a whole.

Like the previous two times that I have covered a Rhythmically Speaking event, I could honestly go on and on about the magic that this group of talented people brings to a stage and to a community. At the end of the day, unless you go and experience their magic in person, there is nothing that my words can do to really tell you the whole story. Please check out Rhythmically Speaking. Their events are appropriate for all ages and are highly accessible, so there’s really nothing to hold you back. My life has become a bit rinse, wash, repeat lately. That’s not a bad thing. I’m seeing a lot of incredible live music and meeting a million amazing people, but I think slowing down and going to an event like one from Rhythmically Speaking, which is so far out of my normal element, really helps add a spark to my life that we all could use a little bit more of.

I implore you to donate if you can. I know I don’t typically do that, but seriously, what the group is doing is truly lovely. There’s no other way to put that. Instead of putting my normal donation links below, I have a link to GiveMN.org where you can donate to this fantastic organization.

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PLEASE DONATE HERE IF YOU CAN!