The Contingency Plan

This past Saturday night I caught the closing show of dance trio The Contingency Plan, at the Firehall Arts Centre. I'm not sure how to go about watching dance, so the first act, titled "Las Tres Marias" was something I just didn't really...get. People were laughing at it, and I thought, Is this supposed to be funny? I mean, I guess it was humorous, but to me, I always thought dance was something to be taken seriously and that there was no laughing allowed.



However, I was there with a seasoned dancer, and she told me that she definitely picked up on the humour. I asked her how she goes about watching a dance performance, what she gets from it, and she said that she just goes with whatever feelings arise in her when watching something. Sometimes she'll marvel at the technicality, other times she'll get a sense or a feeling that is being conveyed.

With that in mind, I watched the second part with a more open outlook. Titled "Adhere," it was supposed to represent what it's like to be alone. Each of the dancers brought forth their own interpretation of what it meant to be alone. One was frantic, another was isolated, and the other was content. At least, that's the feeling that I got from it. The three women danced the entire performance, so kudos to them for a job well done!