When I attended The Felt Room, I was at first startled by the sudden lack of light. I had no sense of were I was in the room, or how big the room really was, and it took a while for my eyes to adjust. During this time, the breathing score that we talked about in class came into effect and I could hear the dancers breathing in/out of unison and through the sound I was surprised as to how well I could sense where people were in the space. One dancer came and stood next to me for awhile with their back to the wall and since I couldn’t see them, I just listened to their breath patterns.
As vague silhouettes came into view I began to feel more comfortable moving around the room, and I tried to vary my position to get different perspectives on the dancers. Moving from the wall to the center of the floor created a feeling of immersion and I enjoyed being so close to the dancers. When the section of darkness was over, the lights seemed overly bright, my eyes needing to adjust quickly. I didn’t quite like the lighter sections as much as the dark but I loved being able to see the dancers after sensing their presence for a while.
The most memorable moment from my time in The Felt Room was when a dancer took my left arm and began to manipulate it. Keeping my arm limp, I watched her hang my arm first by my thumb, and then letting it go and catching it by my wrist. She also brought my arm up above my head and let it fall back down into her grasp.
When the performance was through, I felt extremely relaxed and did not want to leave. The ambient music and the softer lighting created an atmosphere of self-reflection, observance of your fellow audience members, as well as reflection on the two hours in The Felt Room.
~ Margaret Anne Puzak The Body as a Choreographer
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Latest posts by puzakm (see all)
- Without Sight - January 26, 2017