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Theatrical Video-Dance-Technology Program at Jacob’s Pillow - July 21, 2008
 | | Photo Courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow |
BECKET – Presenting an exclusive program derived from his innovative and illuminating public installation, Slow Dancing, visual artist David Michalek and hand-picked dance soloists are onstage at Jacob’s Pillow’s Doris Duke Studio Theatre, July 31 to August 3. The beauty of the body in motion is captured in Michalek’s super-sized slow motion video portraits, revealing details unrecognizable to the naked eye including the physical effort required to perform both simple and technically complex movement. For Slow Dancing, each subject was shot using a high-speed, high-definition video camera, developed by NASA, recording at 1,000 frames per second (standard film captures only thirty frames per second). The Jacob’s Pillow program includes live performances by select dancers, showings of Michalek’s video portraits, and commentary from the artists and Michalek himself.
For this special one-week Pillow program, Michalek and Baff focus on a few extraordinary dancers from around the world as subjects. Shantala Shivalingappa, an acclaimed master of the quicksilver Indian dance form of Kuchipudi, was born in India and raised in Paris. Noted for her electrifying lightness and grace, she has been a frequent guest artist in the contemporary dance arena with Pina Bausch’s Wuppertal Tanz Theater and will perform at the Pillow in her own full evening program, August 7 to 10. Fang-Yi Sheu is a celebrated contemporary dancer who has danced principal roles with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. The New York Times hailed her as “the finest present-day embodiment of Martha Graham’s technique and tradition.” Originally from Taiwan, she recently established her own company, LAFA & Artists, a contemporary dance ensemble dedicated to changing the perception of dance in Taiwan. The third artist will be announced shortly.
Each artist will perform a seven to ten minute solo from their own repertory, as well as the five-second dance phrase that Michalek captured on film. Five seconds becomes five to ten minutes in the video portrait of the brief phrases shown in Michalek’s super-slow motion format. What at first appears to be a still photograph unfolds gesture by gesture, revealing information and details that would normally escape the naked eye. The artists then return to the stage for a discussion with a moderator and David Michalek. This Pillow-exclusive program format gives audience members a full scope of the work as well as information about the internal workings of the dance pieces shown.
“Sculpting Movement and Time: Making Slow Dancing,” an exhibit showcasing Michalek’s Slow Dancing work, is open in Blake’s Barn Tuesday – Sunday, noon – final curtain (approximately 10 p.m.) for the duration of the Festival season. The exhibit takes viewers on an in-depth, behind-the-scenes journey to learn more about Michalek’s inspiration and work process with his diverse group of subjects.
For more information on Slow Dancing and Jacob’s Pillow, visit www.slowdancingfilms.com and www.jacobspillow.org. |
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