Some Shadows

Shadow, performed September 16, 2011 in Broolyn, NY.

My friend Yuki asked me to participate in a  benefit in Brooklyn to raise money for Japan.  I decided to use the costume I had made in Turkey and see how it would transform and adapt to this  new location.

Jorge helped me think of ideas and we decided to use a flashlight to illuminate the performer (me) on stage  and play with the shadows created by the light. For sound, we chose to use a small transistor radio  and we put the radio between stations so the audience would hear  static.  I had the radio underneath my costume for the duration of the performance. 

Jorge suggested a movement inspired by a homeless man he sees in his neighborhood in the East Village.  The man is a hunchback and spends his day propped up against a wall asking for money. It was very difficult for me to hold my body in this position since I am not trained dancer nor am I particularly strong, but I tried to channel all of my butoh training and did the best I could.

I was happy that I chose to the performance although in the future, I don't want to improvise to this extent.  I need to have more of a plan to help me focus my mind while I am performing.  Also I want to go back to doing more peformance-based video work. The live performance is exhilarating, but I like the effects that I can create with video.  In either case,  I plan to work more in the future with the elements I explored in this performance and particularly the shadows.  Like most of us, I have a lot of them already, so it may be helpful to give them a visible life.