Contemporary Dance Solo is a solo dance show with a hint of bouffon, wherein the performer (Robert Azevedo) recreates 18 dance solos from various youth dance competitions. Sometimes the young dancers are projected alongside the performer, allowing for easy comparison of the dancing bodies.
The young dancers in the videos are virtuosic and talented – clearly they are good dancers. Theirs are the kinds of bodies you think of when you imagine a dancer: young, flexible, feminine, wiry. Meanwhile, Azevedo's body is very unlike theirs. As they move through these solos – which itself is a feat of endurance, artistry, and skill – they are asking themselves and the audience to decide for themselves what a good dancer looks like.
April 13 and 14, 7:30pm
The Theatre at Grenfell