The Third Annual Capitol Movement Project Sweeps Audience off Its Feet
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I have never been so blown away by a dance performance in my life (as a professionally trained ballet, modern and jazz dancer, I have been a part of and seen many) as I was by the Capitol Movement Project's two hour production on Saturday night by Capitol Movement, Inc (CMI). I actually had a visceral reaction which included the chills and tears in my eyes. By the way, I was not the only one - many around me shared in that emotion.There were two Acts with a short intermission in between, the first act with nine very different and individualized performances, the second act with seven. With choreographers coming in from LA and NYC (halfway through, I thought Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul and Madonna were being channeled through each dancer), music from India Arie, Naughty by Nature, Michael Jackson, Jill Scott, Aretha Franklin, Kelly Clarkson and every artist in between and beyond, the formula for a grand production was spot on. As a newbie to witnessing anything CMI had done in the past, I had only heard of its greatness. I was in for a complete treat.
Each individual performance within the acts varied in number of dancers (there were some outstanding solos), to the music, to the type of dance. We got to see jazz, a lot of extreme modern, hip hop and even a bit of ethnic. The music was mixed and flowed well, which got the audience even more riled up. There was truly never ever a dull moment. While some dances were a bit more edgy than others, everything really just made sense. There were some social messages woven throughout the production as well, not only from the choice in artist and song, but also in the choreography. It's amazing how movement without spoken words can be just as powerful in getting a message across.
The cool thing about CMI is that they bring together dancers of all diverse ages, ethnicity, backgrounds, looks, and sizes. The troupe itself defined beauty and showed its audience that it doesn't matter who you are or from where you come, if you have raw talent, passion and the drive to practice, practice and practice, the end result is more breathtaking than a million dollar painting on a museum wall. It was pure moving art on stage.
All in all, the dancers individually and as a whole more than succeeded the audiences' expectations, which was clear by the long standing ovation given. It was a powerful performance that was charged with electricity and left us a bit emotionally exhausted, which is one way of knowing, you definitely saw a great show.
Congratulations to Founders Amber Yancey and Stephanie Jojokian and all of the hard working performers.