Flashdance

I was too young to see the movie in theaters, so my first experiences with Flashdance must have been radio-based. The anthems of Maniac and What a Feeling peppered the skating rinks and minivans I frequented as a child of the 80s. And even into the early 90s, there was something so grown-up and sexy about that one-shoulder sweatshirt.  It's amazing how pop culture can translate an old, tattered piece of crappy clothing  into the epitome of nonchalant, teenage seduction!

This is all to say that my own personal build-up for seeing Flashdance the Musical involved a lot of wardrobe review bemoaning the lack of neon and off-shoulder gear.  I listened to Maniac while doing my dishes. I contemplated crimping my hair (didn't have time after work, tragically). I was pumped.

The musical delivers all of the 80s-era angst in a dance-laden production.  Alex Owens, played by Emily Padgett, belts out one synth-underscored number after another.  But it's her dancing, no surprise, that brings the applause. Perfectly reinacting key moments in the movie, with added choreography incorporating Alex's rough circumstances, Alex and the ensemble underscore the my-life-just-isn't-fair-but-I'm-going-to-do-my-best-anyway motif with the stomping of heels and Reeboks.

Many of the characters feel plastic, even Alex at times, but that's part of the appeal of the movie. The love story feels forced, but the movie wasn't any better on that score. This isn't a musical based in any shade of reality, but for the same reasons we love the movie, we enjoy the musical.  There may not be a lot of depth, but there's a lot of good music, dance moves you'll never attempt on your own, and, once again, the realization that women can remove their bras without removing their clothes. Fascinating.

Alex's fellow dancers at Harry's, Kiki and Tess, played by Dequina Moore and Rachelle Rak, were wonderfully warm, engaging characters to supplement Alex's often dour expression.  The numbers backstage at Harry's were the ones that felt the deepest to me, showcasing the sisterhood and support between these women low on their luck.  And the brilliance wasn't strictly tied to their dancing shoes, these women can sing.  

As one would hope, the final scene reenacts Alex's dramatic audition at the Shipley School of Dance, with the added help of the ensemble at the crescendo.  From Alex's iconic black leotard to the schoolmaster's enthused clap to the thrumming chords of "What a Feelin," by the time Alex ends in dream-accomplished exhaustion, the crowd was clapping and whistling with enthusiasm.  That's what we came to see.  That, and the chair-in-the-water thing.

If you grew up in the 80s or grew up on 80s movies, or if you just love to watch a crew of often scantily clad dancers hoof it, then this off-shoulder sweatshirt gem is your ticket to a good time this week.  Flashdance plays at the Orpheum through April 7.

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Delfos Danza

I am not a dance person.  When other girls were taking their first tap and ballet classes, I was learning how to swing a bat on my T-ball team.  Years of softball and zero acquaintance with anything resembling contemporary dance (other than a ludicrous college class where our teacher allowed us to nap if that's what "felt our bodies were saying") has resulted in a woman passionate about baseball and somewhat dismissive of most contemporary dance forms.

I felt it necessary to lay that on the table before I attempted to craft an opinion on my recent experience at the Ordway, where I saw a performance by Delfos Danza, a contemporary dance troupe hailing from Mexico.

Is troupe even the word I'm supposed to use?

I struggle to articulate myself properly on subjects about which I have no knowledge, but there were parts of the performance I found stirring and beautiful, and others I found tiring and somewhat boring to watch.  The visuals incorporated into the performance were stunning, a mix of video and exquisite costuming that provided a perfect aesthetic support for the dancers' movement.  But I struggled to understand the story, the point, the motivation, the reason, the crux, the hinge, the lie, the philosophy, that the performance was attempting to convey.  There was a sense of being captured, trapped even, and that correlated with what I read in the program about the piece having something to do with masks. Some sort of physical manifestation of what it means to hide behind a facade? Or be forced to wear a facade against one's will?  Maybe?

The most powerful image for me was that of flight and escape.  The video usage of the birds was beautiful, the shadows of wings and the tree at center were wonderful ways to bookend the beginning and ending of the performance.  But, I have to admit something here, I couldn't help but think of the episode of Portlandia making mockery of the hipster desire to stick a bird on absolutely everything, "stick a bird on it." But birds are powerful symbols of both entrapment and escape, so I can't fault the usage of a recognizable symbol for those concepts.

Dance, to me, is a foreign world, one I struggle to relate to given my complete lack of physical gracefulness and the absence of any desire to remedy said issue. But it's a foreign world I enjoy peeking into, even if I'm left feeling somewhat lost.

Follow me on Twitter @TheMinneapolite