I remember when I first began to truly notice the clouds. My life found more meaning. It was a door into an awareness of the world around me. Suddenly my perception of what surrounded shifted into a realization that I am not a separate being, but that I am a part of all of this, influencing and naturally occurring right along with everything. It was a huge sigh of relief. What I love, is that this process never ends. The invitation to open our awareness to the world around us is always there. This is what I have been reminded of after the performance of WEATHER, the new work by Lucy Guerin Inc.
The dancers wore a mix of blue or grey loose knit long sleeve tops and black shorts. Above them, plastic bags hung, shifting hues with the scenes. The illumination of all that white, turning from frosty pale winter blue to glowing soft and golden and evolving into that subtlety found in the evening sky… almost persimmon.
There was a time in the beginning where two dancers moved together, never touching, mirroring each other. They shifted their weight and steps to circle one another. Creating patterns and then shifting into another. I thought of summer insects hovering in the middle of the room.
There is this constant sense of influence and the dynamics of the dancers continues to evolve, each affecting one another. Sometimes they depend on each other and move in motion as a whole. Ah, but one person. And how does that affect the whole? This was the theme I continued to see. How does each and every thing affect each and every thing? To watch this in movement, the shifting awareness, the curiosity and exploration of influence, was lovely. At times more playful than I expected. With a humorous vaudevillian aspect even.
The wind. Whipping the body around, creating the sound with their own voices. The plastic bags. Watching them fall, in their own slow and distorted way. Hearing them rustling about. Its good content.
Lucy Guerin expresses her influences and her intentions with this work, but still, I suggest you see this performance with an open mind. Let the sensations of sound and vision lead you to your own impressions.
Two more nights to see this show at Lincoln Hall PSU. Presented by White Bird.
