Proximity

This weekend wasn't just salsa-filled for me, I also saw me some theatre - and some good theatre at that!  Tennessee William's "Green Eyes" was presented at the the Hudson Hotel, on the 6th floor, in a hotel room.  Though dance was not involved in the performance, the presentation of the body - naked, physically abused, it's sexuality - was.  The intensity of it was not the fact that it was presented, but rather HOW it was presented in relation to us, the audience.  There was no distance, no safety net to separate audience from performance. 


The actress stood inches away from me, eyeing me, making me fell - uh- QUITE uncomfortable with my notebook and pen in hand.  Seeing her facial expression so up-close-in-personal made a much different impact on me than, say, had she been dozens of feet away from me, elevated on a proscenium stage.


With that said I couldn't help but think about dance performance and the proximity of the body and how many social dance forms occur within and amongst an "audience" compared to Lincoln Center performances of the NYC Ballet where the dancers appear less as fellow "humans" and more as the ethereal creatures or roles they are intended to portray.  It brings into question the purpose of dance - as a cultural practice, a performance art, a recreational, community-forming activity - and the casual vs. professional setting of dance.


Take a look at my Review of "Green Eyes".