What to say that hasn’t already been said? This concert was amazing! After having done background research on the piece and Brahms himself, I was excited that I actually could hear what I learned in the performance!

Having met Nadine Sierra prior to the performance, I found myself cheering her on when she sang. I hope I’m not biased when I say she was the better soloist. The baritone solist just seemed, cocky. It was as if he has to do the show versus being excited to perform.

I totally agree with you!! Alfredo Rodríguez is remarkable!!! I didn’t know that he had played in Michigan before! Looks like I’m going to have to pay more attention now! I wish Pedrito Martinez was less of a “big question mark” (I liked that description). It’s not that he and his group wasn’t talented but there was…something missing. I’m not really sure how to put it into words but Pedrito definitely perfected the music, while Alfredo Rodríguez seemed to be the entire performance package.

In elementary school we used to say “first is the worst, second is the best.” Well, after Friday, it is very obvious that this is not the case with UMS performances. This is the second time this season that the first act’s artist was hands down better than the second act’s more experienced performer. Fatoumata Diawara in One Night in Bamako and Alfredo Rodríguez Trio this past weekend both found a way to engage with the audience and share their musical talents, not just show their talents off.
Now do not misunderstand me, Pedrito Martinez Group was very talented and Mr. Martinez’s percussive skills were astounding, but I felt like I wasn’t allowed to be involved with their performance. Watching Alfredo Rodríguez and his group, I couldn’t help but be pulled into the music and I just felt happy and warm. Pedrito Martinez somehow established a distance with the audience, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but following someone who is engaging in a symbiotic relationship with the audience, makes for a strange change of pace.
I’m also partial to Mr. Rodríguez after reading the interview conducted by UMS. Check it out here if you missed it! (http://www.umslobby.org/index.php/2014/02/artist-interview-cuban-pianist-alfredo-rodriguez-14459) There’s something about this man’s ideas of incorporating everything from his past but living in the moment that is just inspiring, and I think that’s what comes through in his music and makes him so great to watch/listen to.

I completely agree with your “WOW” statement!!! There is no way I’m ever going to see something like that again because it can’t even be classified! The movements weren’t uniquely “hip hop” or “tumbling,” etc., you know?

Honestly, I would have passed out after the first 10 minutes if I was up there! I wish I was joking. And you’re right, they managed to just keep smiling. The only sign that they were even working hard was the glisten of sweat they had when they were “bowing.” Its hard to imagine doing that as your job. Just dancing and doing what you love, telling others a story through movement. Its almost too powerful to fathom!

I’m glad you paid attention to the music because reading your comment brought back a lot of what I had forgotten. Usually I get distracted by background music, but I could barely comprehend anything beyond the dancers’ movements.

I am a mover, NOT a dancer!

I once heard an interview with Broadway star Megan Hilty where she described herself as a mover, someone who can do move to rhythm without totally “screwing up” the surrounding “real” dancers.

Compagnie Kafig? Those were dancers!

Their movements were so profound and dedicated, every step had a purpose, each gesture a meaning. I found myself totally captivated by Correria, the first dance, seeing a wordless story unfold. I wonder though if anyone else felt incredibly sad during the first piece, like the weight of the world was crashing down, even when there was no obvious explanation for it. There were moments where I felt trapped, just like the characters created. That feeling even translated to my physical being, half the time I didn’t know if I should clap because the piece seemed so dark. Clapping felt too happy, like it would invade the space the company had created for us all. But even that indecision added to the performance. It was as if I were feeling the confusion they were demonstrating so vividly on stage.

And then of course Agwa was just incredible. I couldn’t stop smiling! I was having just as much fun watching as they probably were dancing! It’s amazing to think that those two pieces were created from so many different forms of movement because they seemed to sync so effortlessly.

Needless to say, I was beyond amazed!

I completely agree with you Monique!!! For a minute, the language barrier seemed intimidating but about 5 minutes in I felt like the Michigan Theater had landed in Africa and it the language was just part of the journey! I love it!!!

This concert was extremely dynamic and each piece seemed to transport me to new places. Certain numbers were easy for me to enjoy, others took me a while to appreciate. The hardest piece for me to grasp was called “…hold me neighbor in this storm…” In the beginning I heard dissonance, chaos. It was hard for my brain to sort what was going on and I found myself squinting, trying properly to listen. It probably didn’t help that some of the high resonant sounds felt like knives in my brain. I found myself hung up on trying to figure out what the title of the piece meant, but when I relinquished my attempted analysis, I actually began to appreciate the work. As the piece developed I began to hear cultures in the music; Jewish, Japanese, Islamic, French. Then images and emotions came to mind. I felt like I was rewinding in time. There was a moment when the musicians were very calm and a bomb sound played on the back track. Eerie. The more I stopped actively thinking, the more I found myself actively listening. That was the best part of the performance for me. The piece I completely disliked and wrote off at first became the piece that pushed me, engaged me as an audience member. When the night was over a friend texted me and asked how it was. “There aren’t words. It was amazing and wretched, beautiful and ugly. And there was just so much talent.”