A Different Kind of Project

As soon as I heard it was only $10 for any seat at the Performing Arts Center I was sold. Did I know anything about the Trey McIntyre Project? Nope, but I soon goggled it to find that it was a dance company owned and directed by Trey McIntyre - a top choreographer. The project was said to be a style all his own: a mix of technical ballet with a modern twist; a vision sought out by McIntyre. It wasn't like anything I had ever seen before. I mean, the dance technique I've studied and can recognize, but the music and rhythm mixed with sudden, even sporadic, modern movements made the experience tantalizing. The only thing that was expected was the next unexpected. The audience seemed to be intrigued the whole way, and to my surprise it was a full house. Then again all the seats were $10, in which I think was brilliant because it just opened the performance to that much more of a diverse audience. There were teenagers, families, couples of all ages, and a real diversity in ethnicities. Who cannot afford a $10 seat at one of the best performing arts centers? For those who truly enjoy dance performances this was a real treat.

Mid intermission brought in interactive media: "text your email address to xxxx for a chance to win a TMP T-shirt." As soon as that screen popped up, BAM! - Everyone snapped their mobile device and started typing away. It was a perfect opportunity to gather a database for future use and a great way to keep the audience attentive. The most unique and out-of-the box performance was the very last performance that had them literally in a box.

Here's how it went:

The performers are all on stage bowing to the audiences' clapping then McIntyre, the choreographer, also jumps onstage to receive his applause. The thought is that this is the final act, until Trey leaves the stage, goes out through an audience entrance and what we see next on stage is a screen. The screen turns on and it's McIntyre. He's standing outside in the lobby. We're watching a video of him being recorded and it follows him all the way outside. Meanwhile, the stage lights up for the dancers one more time and as they're dancing one by one they start leaving the stage heading out the way McIntyre first did and before we knew it they show up on screen, meaning they made their way to the outside of the Center.

The performance isn't over.

We're all called to meet them outside. Once outside we hear music booming from a DJ and see each dancer is in a box (think box office style) with no walls, just a frame (think picture frame) hanging in front of them. On top of each box is a screen that is reeling pictures and words (little known facts) of each dancer. The audience is set to be invisible to each dancer and they are each pretending to be in their dressing room/bathroom by themselves. The frame in front of them is their mirror- in which is see-through so they are really seeing all the audience. You can only imagine the craziness that happens from here. The fun part is realizing that the dancers know and see you're there, but have to stay in character imagining that they are alone staring at themselves in a mirror. [I still chuckle as I write this] While walking around each performer’s box, I notice a lady went up to a performers' frame and stared him straight in the eye. Not long after she started to mimic what the performer was doing- picking their teeth at the mirror, drinking, dancing and singing in front of it. It almost broke him.
This performance was truly one of the most creative performances I've seen; a 10 dollar seat was just the cherry on top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW5eYrsVXio&feature=player_embedded