David Parson’s Nascimento

            Nascimento,a lively contemporary piece, fills the stage with energetic movement throughout the entirety of the work.  Serving as a tribute to its composer, Milton Nascimento, Parsons combines a wide variation of music with an intriguing use of repetition and a continuous flow, creating an overall arc for the piece. ​

            The mixture of Brazilian beats in Parsons’ captivating choreography creates a jubilant atmosphere. Nascimento explores mixed metered and unmetered time through deviations in rhythm. Beginning with vocals and subtle guitar strings in the background, one female dancer stands presently on stage followed by a male dancer moving towards her. The male dancer disregards the unmetered vocals as he continues to move at a steady pulse, creating his own sense of progression in time within the movement. He kisses the female dancer and the music bursts into lively vocals and rhythms as other dancers fly into the space. This unexpected change from unmetered to metered time creates a sense of surprise in the music and choreography.  

            Although the music shifts, the quality in which the dancers move remains the same. Parsons immediately establishes the playful movement quality as he enters, completing a series of small jumps and hops. Despite the contrast in music, Parsons continues introducing the tempo at which most of the dance resides. Suddenly, the lively rhythms drop, and there is a moment of pause before unmetered, a cappella vocals come in. While this happens, the dancers consistently move to the same tempo and quality as if the previous music remained. The continuation of the same movement quality between the transition of music permits the change in sound to be unpredictable, but not jarring.

The consistent movement quality supported by the repetition of particular steps and phrases brings awareness to how effective motif can be in tying each section together, creating a holistic piece. A motif of jumping while swinging the legs to one side with the arms framing the face reappears, capturing a moment in time as the dancers freeze then return down. Parsons incorporates additional moments of slight pause, mirroring moments of suspension in the air. 

        In addition, a series of spatial patterns converge and diverge as the dancers soar through space in variations of suspended jumps, establishing an outline for later visitation. Through these movements, a joyful buoyancy stands out while contributing to the constant flow.  In the final section, Parsons reflects repetition in the music with repetition through canon to re-emphasize movement. This section encompasses different musical elements included in each section, replicating the re-visitation in choreography from each part of the piece. Although similar steps return, the movement seems new each time due to Parsons’ reimaginations of similar choreography. 

       Each dancer embodies the movement with a sense of unbound, free flow supporting the playful essence of the choreography. Movement is interpreted slightly different through every performer’s body; however, the continuous drive of energy unites the dancers. Each dancer’s movement sways into the next with fast footwork while maintaining a sense of ease in their upper bodies. This swing like tendency provides a smooth yet cheerful sensation contributing to the flirtatious nature of the piece. With the embodiment of a carefree attitude, the dancers seem to tease each other through their playful execution of the movement and the back and forth sway ingrained in the phrasing. 

      The title, Nascimento, meaning birth comes to fruition through the uninterrupted flow of the piece; a celebration of life seems to manifest itself within the choreography due to the way the performers execute the difficult steps in such an easy-going manner.   Specifically, when the quartet dances on stage they intertwine with one another using a variation of skipping, running, and releasing rand de jambs that display this carefree quality. The release of their heads supports the ongoing flow, actively revealing the importance of the inclusion of the upper body to accomplish free flow. Unbound flow adds blissful moments of risk and bold physicality to the choreography. Exhibiting risk through partnering in canon, dancers fly through the air as they ascend from one person’s arms to the next resembling a popcorn-like quality.Each moment of risk relays a sense of excitement; the perpetual flow enables new possibilities through the constant momentum. 

       The choreographer’s strategic development of Nascimento unfolds as the dance builds from one section to the next, leaving no section underdeveloped. Milton Nascimento’s music provides a rich background for the full body experience rooted in the movement, making the viewer want to sway with the dancers on stage.