“Even in a society where communication gives us rules to follow and often tells us who we are and what we want to be, we can look for individuality within groups of people,” Palmer said.
The dancers begin by working together, abandoning their own individuality to help the others perform the solo movements they have created, thus giving the show a sense of structure and cohesion while still highlighting five unique perspectives.
Later the dancers have the opportunity to leave the group to explore emotions or conflicts which are significant to them.
At some points the dancers look at each other as if they are old friends; at other times they appear to be strangers.
“There is a sense of familiarity because we got to know each other in rehearsal, but there is also so much that we don’t know because dance is a nonverbal communication,” said dancer Chelsea Retzloff.
During her solo performance, Retzloff employed movements that were meant to have significance on both macro and micro levels.
“It became a global positioning idea —where am I on Earth, where am I in Queens, where am I in New York, and then it got down to even as small as where am I in the matter of my own body,” she said.
Retzloff covered her eyes to signify a point where she was lost or afraid of what her journey was revealing and then used a leg gesture to counter that position, getting her back on track.
Hsaio-Ting Hseih, a dancer from Taiwan, picked up the corners of her dress and tiptoed through the grass in a semi-squatting position as through she were afraid to step on something unsavory.
“This is my second year in New York and my third year as a dancer, so I still feel uncomfortable and it’s a big change for me,” she explained. “This movement shows my nervousness and how I have to take things step-by-step and be careful of every step.”
Hseih said she enjoyed the opportunity to perform in a park setting, explaining, “I can hear the river and all the sounds around me and that changed my dynamic.”
During her solo, Sarah Lehman contorted her body, stretching her right arm across the left part of her frame and her left arm over the right side of her frame to signify conflict.
“I kind of feel like that’s how my life is — going in conflicting directions,” she said.
Even though Lehman’s movements had a specific purpose, she doesn’t feel that is necessary for the audience to understand the significance of each move to enjoy the performance.
“No two people are going to see the piece and get the same thing out of it, and we don’t expect them to,” she said. “That’s a misconception in dance that people think they have to know exactly what the choreographer intended it to be. When I go to an art show, I want to view it and have my own interpretation, and I feel like if you don’t understand it you can make it mean whatever you want it to mean.”
“Find Me in Here” is conducted in the round, so that the performance is approachable from any angle. At one point, the audience is even invited to participate.
“It was a little awkward at first,” Astoria resident Molly McGaughran said. “I’m not so fond of the improv. It’s a little scary.”
However, McGaughran said she enjoyed the overall performance. “It was very new and exciting,” she said. “It’s good to be reminded of the ingenuity of modern choreographers.”
For Palmer, it was important to expose the community to a type of dance scene that she feels is under-represented.
“Dance is not limited to one thing. It is something that everyone can find an entry point into,” she said. “Dance doesn’t have boundaries like other art forms. We can engage in it on an every person level.”
|
|
