I also agree that Rodriguez has incredible talent but I much prefer to hear him play melodic tunes. I enjoyed his performance much more than the Pedro Martinez Group as well. I could not agree more with this post as you used the same words that I was thinking.

Alfredo Rodriguez definitely has a remarkable talent. I have to admit, I have never seen a live performance that displayed so much talent and passion. I enjoyed two of the songs that he played, one being the encore. Otherwise, I found some of his music a bit difficult to get into. I think my expectations limited my ability to experience the show fully. I do enjoy jazz a lot and I also enjoy Latin music as well but the performances did not keep me engaged other than when Alfredo would go crazy on the keys. Even then, I did not necessarily enjoy the musical aspect of some of the pieces. The second band unfortunately also did not appeal to me. I felt that they probably were really good but the sound quality was not clear or pleasant. Perhaps the sound check did not go very well or maybe the Michigan Theater was not conducive to their sound. Each of their songs sounded too loud to enjoy them to me. I would be very interested to see them perform at a different venue or hear a recording of them. Overall, I think this was my least favorite performance that we have seen this semester.

Hi Luke, I also thought it was really clever how they used simple plastic cups as props. I had previously seen them in photos of the show but I did not know that they were just plastic cups. Contrarily though, I enjoyed the hip-hop roots of it thoroughly. I’m glad you could still appreciate it though, that’s awesome. I agree that the first half got me really excited to see the second half of the show and then the second half did not disappoint at all.

If you check my YouTube viewing history, among other things, you will find plenty of dance videos. I am by no means a dance expert, but more of an enthusiast. That being said, Compagnie Kafig was a very interesting performance to watch. It somehow managed to leave me both impressed and confused at the same time. I definitely have seen a lot of the moves that they performed before, and that is to be expected. But what I did not expect was the context and manner in which they performed the dances. Rather than just show off their athleticism and natural talents, they really put on a real theatrical show for lack of better words. What I mean to say is that their backstory combined with their execution provided me with a spectacular experience. I really enjoyed how they took something that I have seen before and seemingly translated it into a story or point of view that I have never experienced. I have definitely never seen a show like it. It was unpredictable and had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what they would do with the cups especially. The effect of the spotlights in the first half really captured my attention. That part allowed me to really focus on the particular skills and even emotions of individual dancers, which is more interesting to me than when they all danced the same dance in a line with fake legs.

To summarize my reaction to the Kronos Quartet concert, I was really moved by the pieces but mostly just surprised by the entire performance in general. I did not expect that style of music. I did not expect them to use recordings to play along with. I did expect them to wear more formal attire, which they did not. I just really did not know that was an option for a string quartet. In keeping an open mind about the event, I have to say that I really did enjoy the shock factor of it all as well as the music itself. I really admire how much they broke the “rules” of a string quartet concert. I definitely approve of breaking norms and I would suggest this concert to my friends.