Sitting in front of my computer, I await a new world to unfold. As our world changes outside every moment, a world of art that was not able to be accessed before under normal circumstances now rests before my itching fingertips, begging to be opened. Slowly I draw one hand to the mouse, the other clenched in a fist tightly in excitement. With a quick flick of my eyes I scan the page to find what I am looking for. Within a few clicks and a promo-code later, what I wanted is now mine in this world. I relax my fist, adjust myself into a more comfortable position, and begin to watch. I watch and watch and watch, the screen under constant change with one idea moving into another. I absorb what I see with a fascinated intensity, not wanting to forget a single moment. Each action taking place builds on another and I feel myself overwhelmed with ever changing emotions, realization dawning in one and being overcome by beauty in the next. As Crystal Pite's "Dark Matters" comes to an end, I am snapped back into the real world, invigorated from the beautiful performance that I just saw and grateful for the amount of art that is now available to everyone in the quarantine.
While this pandemic goes on, there are many things that have changed. The lines at the grocery stores being long, all recreation being closed, or even some of our favorite TV shows being moved to online. Most of these changes are a giant step outside of our everyday life, but not everything has been for the worse. For artists, such as myself, we are seeing both negative and positive effects on the arts community, change happening every day. While so many different art productions or curations have been closed or cancelled, there has been a mass influx of content that is now available online. Many artists are offering different outlets for people to go online and observe art at the rate in which they are comfortable paying. Not just small productions either, but major companies and artists putting full ballets, contemporary pieces, art galleries, operas, and other full length productions.
For me, I have been able to watch certain dance pieces that were never available either because I wasn’t in the area, didn’t have the money, or didn’t have the time due to other commitments that ate into my time. There have been many platforms that have offered ways and opportunities for people to view art. Two of my favorites that I am drawn to are platforms such as On The Board TV (Free 48 hour rental until the end of April with promo-code ARTATHOME20), Marquee TV (Free 30 day subscription), or even Youtube surprisingly. Through On The Board TV I was able to watch one of my favorite and critically acclaimed choreographer Crystal Pite’s work “Dark Matters”
IMAGE: Kidd Pivot in rehearsal with Crystal Pite, Photo: Kat Baulu
This piece blends together puppeteering, theater, shadow projection, lighting, and dance to offer a full experience of the truth of fate and the ignorance that we as humans create for ourselves. From constant change of perception of what reality is, I was kept constantly on my toes, drastically shocked in some parts while deeply moved in others. Yes...this is the piece that I was describing at the beginning of this post, and yes...I do recommend it.
While all of these performances are now available for people to view, how will that affect the way in which people will perceive dance? Will we forget the way seeing a performance live feels? Will it spark more desire to get out to see it in person after being inside for so long? We don’t know. All that we know is that the whole arts world will be seeing a change, a shift, a new world come about as time progresses.
As for me, I will continue to watch and learn, remembering the feeling of seeing art live, but also appreciating the many chances I get to observe something that was unavailable to me before.
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