As a dancer myself, I really enjoyed and appreciated Shattered Chandelier. It was well-choreographed and the music selection was very eclectic and different.
Put on by Dancer’s Edge Studio, located in Winter Park, Fla., the show was rewritten and directed by William Marchante, who based it loosely on The Phantom of the Opera. So if you’ve seen that musical or movie, I don’t have to go through the entire plot because it is pretty much similar.
The show took the elements of opera and infused them with classical Cecchetti ballet, also including many modern and interpretive numbers throughout the show. One of the things I great enjoyed was not only did they take the modern covers from Phantom, but they also included music from modern artists that helped tell the story. At the end of the show in the credits, Marchante lists all the artists, which included Madonna, Meatloaf, Linkin Park and even Shiny Toy Guns. That was a definite new breathe of life breathed into an older, classic story.
All the dancers, you could tell, were well-trained, and their lines were amazing and turns were crips and “on-pointe” (dancer joke). The dancer who played the phantom was my favorite; he really conveyed his emotions not just through his moves but his facial expressions and his overall presence on the stage.
My only concern was that the music kept cutting out throughout the show, so there would be points everyone would be dancing together and the music would cut and when it come back on you could tell people were on slightly different counts at times. Plus, the music cutting out at intense parts took a bit away from the overall element and dark mood of the show. Also, the young woman who played Christine Daaé seemed at times detached from her character. I understand the role of Christine is at times to be that, but she seemed to not have too much of a variety of facial expressions or couldn’t convey her emotions through he moves as well as some of the other dancers. Her dancing was great, and maybe it was because it was the opening show, but sometimes she lacked the necessary emotion needed for the role of Christine.
I would definitely recommend for anyone to see this show, and I love how this year there seems to be a lot more dance show options then in previous years.
Shattered Chandelier is playing at the Black Venue at The Venue.
