A dance-only performance of steam punk Romeo and Juliet to a soundtrack of familiar and near-familiar songs? I’m in. Collide Theatrical Dance Company brings this unusual performance of Romeo and Juliet to the Luminary Arts Center until Feb 23, 2025. I don’t know dance so I came to the performance like a new student, trying to catch every dance detail – so I could ask my Fantastic-dancing nieces about the moves later. But then, I got lost in the dance, I got lost in the story.
I have seen at least a dozen versions of Romeo and Juliet. It’s helpful to know the broad plot of the play when going to the dance, but I don’t think you need a to know the plot well to follow the story. Having a relationship with the play helped me appreciate the dance as something new. The dance becomes much more about the passion than the nuances or twists in the plot. The love or lust between Romeo and Juliet is intense, as it needs to be to anchor the other characters. The disdain between the Montagues and Capulets is palpable. Having the Montagues shift to tap dancing at key times was a very effective way to help separate the feuding teams and bring in the literal thunder of battle.
The scenery was sparse but effective. There was scaffolding that served the famous balcony; the most prevalent prop was an old fashion clock, like found a vintage town square or the Minneapolis City Hall Clock. The second hand tick-tocks throughout the performance. Sometimes it’s loud; sometimes silent. The pace of the tocks mirrors (or sets?) the pace of the action on stage. Throughout the show, the dancers’ movements in turn mimic the movement of the clock. It’s centering.
The dancing is athletic, striking and emotive. The dancers are fantastic. Their subtle movements held me captive – the roll of the eye, snarling limp or dead-dolly limpness of Juliet post-drugging. The music had something for everyone – Time in a Bottle, Ave Maria, Shatter Me and a Bridgerton version of When Doves Cry to punctuate the sparks between Romeo and Juliet.
Side bar: genius move to have the dancers take the stage before the performance to do some livestreaming. It gives people like me a chance to get our pictures and then turn our phone off for the performance.
Mostly Minnesota 