Throughout Lewis’ performance, I was fascinated with his power of expression through what I believed to be such a limited medium. His physical involvement with the piece, his mastery of the instrument, and the passion with which he performed all combined to keep a relatively single-minded repertoire nothing short of invigorating. I was surprised when Lewis’ performance stirred an emotional reaction out of me, as I had never experienced that in any music that was not choral. My favorite piece, in particular, was his third, as I felt that it bounced around between opposites: lively and melancholy, quick and slow, piano and forte. That contrast proved to bring variation to a set list that may have superficially appeared to lack it. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Although I was sad to miss Leif, Paul Lewis most definitely did not disappoint!

In my life, I have never felt as included and integrated in a community as I did in a giant concert hall packed to the walls with people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages, enjoying a genre of music I may have never considered on my own accord. It was inspiring beyond words to look around me and see, on one side, young girls, maybe 3 or 4 years old, dancing with a long-haired middle age man, and on the other, elderly caucasian women moving around with African women dressed in traditional clothing. The sense of community and pure joy in the room was overwhelming, incredible, and unmistakeable. Youssou N’Dour’s performance demonstrated the sheer power of music in its ability to fill a room of thousands with a shared feeling of total happiness. This is a performance I did not originally choose to go to, but nonetheless, one I would never have wished to miss, and one I will surely never forget.

Hubbard Street Dance impressed me beyond anything I could have foreseen. Normally I find it hard to appreciate dance that fails to directly tell me a story, however, the dancers were so passionate that I was able to interpret a unique story in each piece. My favorite was “Quintett,” which possessed an elegance and fluidity that contributed to an overall beauty that captivated me throughout the entire performance. Additionally, there was an apparent wariness among the performers that leads the audience to believe in the intentionality of their choices, further developing the overall grace of the performance. The entire piece seemed to function as a transformation, be it in style, structure, or partner choices. The only constant in this piece was the accompaniment which, although repetitive, still contributed to the beauty of the piece.