For Valentine's Day Mark took me for supper and to a performance at the Banff Centre. The performers were a dance company from Montreal. We thought we might be in for something a little different when we read in the program that the choreographer's last dance was based on the patterns of passenger pigeons. I guess we could forget grand themes.
Once the program started we quickly learned the troupe didn't so much dance as chatter chunks of personal stories that had almost no discernable beginning or end. This was done while repeating the same 10 or so movements over and over again. From what Mark and I could tell, and we debriefed in detail afterward, none of these movements was in anyway related to what the dancer was talking about.
The name of the dance was On the Ice of Labrador. I have no idea why this was the name of the dance as all the stories where about Montreal. In fairness, I did seem to ascertain some sort of water feature during the production and they had a picture of a polar bear. However, I can't say this did anything to clarify the meaning of the dance for me.
I am all for having my mind opened. But I am beginning to wonder if opening is the wrong way of looking at it. Maybe rewiring would be more suitable. Because after the exhibit last week and this performance I can say that if I get to experience much more of this type of 'art' I may give up on it altogether.
On Feb 28 we have tickets to see Ailey II, an off shoot of the famous Alvin Ailey dance troupe from NYC. I hate to do this to you Ailey II, but if you disappoint, I might give up on the arts for years. Please, don't suck!
1 comment:
It's like you can only be considered art if you are incomprehensible.
Or made from junk.
And if you're a regular joe like me and you like regular photographs and regular paintings, you are seen as childish and dumb.
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