We went to watch a performance by Pilobolus last Tuesday. Pilobolus is a contemporary dance company and is traveling the world showing their dances. They've won many awards.
Last time I watched live performance by Pilobolus was in 1999 or early 2000 in New York. Impressed, I bought a T-shirt. The shirt lasted for about 12 years before it started to tear and I threw it away. The T-shirt had a series of silhouette figures of their dance. One day a friend of mine, Rebecca, said, "the one on the upper left looks like a penis". After her comment, the dance silhouette suddenly looked that way. Rebecca passed away in 2011 in her 30's after a battle against breast cancer, and this episode is a reminder of her direct and funny ways of saying things.
Later I bought a DVD featuring collaborative work between Pilobolus and late illustrator Maurice Sendak of "Where the Wild Things Are." The film is called "Last Dance."
This time they traveled to Edmond, Oklahoma for a performance in a College. The tickets were sold out and their dances were great. The performance reminded me that what dancers can do if they push their athleticism and creativity to a higher level.
Dance can be a very, very athletic act. However, for most partner dances and ballet, at one point in their advancement, dancers start trying to make the dance look easy and show no sweat. The performance by Pilobolus made me question the pretense. I am not saying that Pilobolus people sweat all the way, showing their sweats and efforts. I am saying that the pretense may be limiting some aspects of partner dance, or that some people who want to take "no sweat" pretense far below their ability limit.
That also made me think that I got to work on my own body and mind conditioning more. Hannibal Lecter said in the Silence of the Lambs, "No. We begin by coveting what we see every day." His comments are insightful, and that's one of the reasons the serial killer character is so memorable. Inspiring, or making us covet, some good arts can influence us.
I'll go to their performance again, if there is a chance.
The new kitten Deja has been doing typical kitten stuff. Active for some time, scratching and chasing anything that moves and what doesn't, then he falls asleep purring. Repeat this a dozen times, and this day is over. Let's do this tomorrow..... Life of a kitten looks simple.
