Chase Peterson- Mysterium (2018)
(I do not own this photo and credits go to their respective owners)
Competition: Radix Rochester
Improv has always been an interesting component of dance competitions. Some improv are completely thought of on the spot, some may incorporate combos done in class or past choreography, while others learn a few counts of choreography backstage and come up with the rest while performing.
An improv dance is somewhat only ever performed “once” in the sense that, even if the dancer watches a video of what they have thrown together on stage and relearn the choreography, it can be difficult to mimic what they’ve done in terms of emotions exuded or the “vibe”.
Improv then can really go either way. Some improv dances look very shaky and not well executed, while others genuinely look like they were choreographed from start to end. As such, emotions are running high when I watch an improv dance because I never know what a dancer will do onstage. It can be exciting, erratic, bizarre, weird, avant-garde (hahaha), or simply, a hot hot hot mess.
For an improv solo I was pleasantly surprised by Chase’s performance. Chase has such beautiful legs and feet, and his lines are impeccably clean in his dances. Highlights in Mysterium include the leg hold and the illusion into a handstand down into a straddle split roundabout. -insert internal screams-
Technically, Chase’s transitions were very well-executed, especially in and out of his phenomenal floor work, and so the entire dance felt very seamless and didn’t look so improv-y.
I would also imagine that if one were to do improv, a dancer would be pretty frazzled up thinking what to do next. However Chase looked cool like a cucumber and his emotional execution was superb. The way he moved and his emotions both complemented the eerie and choir/churchy/gospel-esque music very well.
A very small shoutout to the costume as well- really liked the felt top and the grey tones, especially against the red lights/background of the stage. It also felt reminiscent of Nick Daniel’s costume when he competed his solo Crossing Over for Senior Male Best Dancer at The Dance Awards Orlando 2016. Come to think of it, the flexibility required for both routines was also insane.
I concede that at times this very much looked like the typical leggy contemporary solo. If I had to further nitpick something, it’s the fact that Chase did two illusions in one dance (not a very big deal, but still). But this is an improv dance after all, and for that I absolutely enjoyed this dance. Chase certainly capitalised on his legs and feet, and his technique certainly shone through and through.
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