Mosaic of Glass Pieces
Jerome Robbins’s Glass Pieces showcases beauty in individuality and conformity and the intertwining of the two in society. Throughout the entire performance, I couldn’t help but connect the name “Glass Pieces” to a mosaic. They were their own glass piece that was strategically placed to decorate the stage. The dancers either danced to the rhythm or the melody throughout each part all while maintaining some type of individuality through their clothing or placement in the dances.
The first part, “Rubric” opens with a plain grid as the backdrop, and an ensemble comes out and mimics the kind of movement a tourist in Times square would be mesmerized by. This first part of Glass Pieces lived up to its name, each of the dancers seemed to be following a social agenda or “rubric” that I tend to see when I visit the city. Each person takes their own path and crisscrossed with no regard to the person next to them. They resembled a mosaic of uniformly placed glass pieces in various colors. As the viewer, I wondered if they would crash into each other. An instrument was added to the composition which signaled more quirky dancers to prance onto the stage. They seemed to embrace individuality through their more classical movements rather than their clothing unlike the ensemble surrounding them. By the end of this part, I expected the ensemble to continue about their vigorous walking. However, they joined the classical dancers and turned individuality into a method of conformity. What was once a way to stand out became a way to blend in.
I had to watch the second piece “Facade” a couple of times before putting a meaning to it. Each time I had to remind myself to pay attention to the duet in the foreground before eventually becoming entranced by the background dancers. The anonymity of the background dancers that followed the rhythm in contrast to the duet that followed the melody brought meaning to the name of the piece. As the duet performed, they acted as a literal and figurative facade. They were the front-facing dancers that seemed to be there to distract us from what was happening behind them. To me, the duet represented the desire to be unique all the time to stand out. While being unique is desirable, it’s not always appealing when it’s forced. The simple movements in the background were uniform but managed to catch my attention better than the more unique dance of the duet.
The final piece comes in strong with battle-preparation type music matched with a strong movement of male ballet dancers. Gravity was definitely in motion as these dancers moved around the stage. Furthermore, as they took their powerful steps, I could hear them. When the women came on to the stage to replace the men, their steps were light and airy. It was as if they were dancing on the moon which matched the more flowy music that introduced them to the stage. The groups of men and women had their own choreography to follow when they first came in during the third piece. This last piece sectioned the group of men into separate groups which eventually came together. Then the men and women were separated and came together by the end. I wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind the name of this last piece, the only meaning I could put to it was that each person belongs to different groups throughout their lives. I found that Akhenaten was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh who was nicknamed “The first individual in history.” Although He had this unique nickname, the first description of him was that he was a pharaoh, something that makes him part of a group. Connecting this with the final part of Glass Pieces, all together they were dancers, then they were men and women, then they were sextets, trios, and then just themselves. The dancers belonged in different groups within a group that seemed to shape their individuality.
Glass Pieces did not follow a specific story. Instead, the dancers articulated their bodies in ways that allowed the audience to make one in their minds. I saw the beauty of unity and individuality in a bustling city. Beyond that, being a part of society does not make you less of an individual. Instead, being in groups allows you to express who you are. Like a mosaic, each person is their own colored glass piece which is impressive on its own, but much more beautiful when put in cohesive work.
