On Wednesday, October 30th, I had the pleasure of seeing a performance of Kinetic Light: Descent at the Flynn Center for Performing Arts. The show is choreographed and danced solely by Alice Sheppard and Laurel Lawson. The audience watches as these two women perform incredible feats of strength and discipline despite physical adversity; ultimately shattering prior notions and assumptions of people who live with disabilities.
The performance was based on Auguste Rodin’s sculpture: The Toilette of Venus and Andromeda, and this was very much exemplified through the abstract movements of the dancers, and the way the stage was lit up in ever-changing ways throughout the production. Sheppard and Lawson used wheelchairs intermittently during the performance, which implied a very different and intriguing way of dancing. The dancers used an impressive six-foot ramp that was specifically constructed for them to perform with their chairs. The choreography was beautifully fluid and synchronized during the performance.
From the choreography to the backdrop, lighting, and stage design, this performance was visually astounding, but I perceived it as rather lacking in the story-telling aspect. Trying to follow the narrative was difficult at times, and nearly impossible at others. I often found myself confused and confounded, and just as I got my bearings and was able to follow the story better, the intermission happened and I was at square one once again to start in the second act. The performance did not follow the traditional ebb and flow of a plot, and so the climax of the production was lost along the way.
Luckily, however, there was a written narrative in the pamphlet I was given at the beginning of the show. Without this document, I would have been lost throughout the performance.
Apart from the performance, Kinetic Light offered a very interesting component to their shows for people with impaired sight. If someone in the audience is blind, rather than only hearing the music, they can use a smartphone and headphones and listen to a variety of audible experiences. They can listen to someone explaining what the dancers are doing on stage, or they can listen to someone explaining the narrative as they dance. There is even a selection that lets them listen to mics on the stage, and they can hear the wheels on the floor.
I was given the opportunity to use this interesting option, and they explained to me that I could choose as many or as few of the given options that I desired. I chose to listen to the spoken narrative, but alas, when it came time for the show to begin and the recording to start in my ear, their audible option had experienced technical difficulties and I watched the show without it.
All in all, the performance was very entertaining, from a visual standpoint, and despite its faults regarding the plot and narrative, it was enjoyable and I would certainly watch it again.
The performance was based on Auguste Rodin’s sculpture: The Toilette of Venus and Andromeda, and this was very much exemplified through the abstract movements of the dancers, and the way the stage was lit up in ever-changing ways throughout the production. Sheppard and Lawson used wheelchairs intermittently during the performance, which implied a very different and intriguing way of dancing. The dancers used an impressive six-foot ramp that was specifically constructed for them to perform with their chairs. The choreography was beautifully fluid and synchronized during the performance.
From the choreography to the backdrop, lighting, and stage design, this performance was visually astounding, but I perceived it as rather lacking in the story-telling aspect. Trying to follow the narrative was difficult at times, and nearly impossible at others. I often found myself confused and confounded, and just as I got my bearings and was able to follow the story better, the intermission happened and I was at square one once again to start in the second act. The performance did not follow the traditional ebb and flow of a plot, and so the climax of the production was lost along the way.
Luckily, however, there was a written narrative in the pamphlet I was given at the beginning of the show. Without this document, I would have been lost throughout the performance.
Apart from the performance, Kinetic Light offered a very interesting component to their shows for people with impaired sight. If someone in the audience is blind, rather than only hearing the music, they can use a smartphone and headphones and listen to a variety of audible experiences. They can listen to someone explaining what the dancers are doing on stage, or they can listen to someone explaining the narrative as they dance. There is even a selection that lets them listen to mics on the stage, and they can hear the wheels on the floor.
I was given the opportunity to use this interesting option, and they explained to me that I could choose as many or as few of the given options that I desired. I chose to listen to the spoken narrative, but alas, when it came time for the show to begin and the recording to start in my ear, their audible option had experienced technical difficulties and I watched the show without it.
All in all, the performance was very entertaining, from a visual standpoint, and despite its faults regarding the plot and narrative, it was enjoyable and I would certainly watch it again.
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