Yoga Theatre
OK, Lisa is a certified yoga instructor and routinely practices yoga. However, last Friday she convinced me I had to take her to what was called a "yoga play". Actually it was Tripsichore Yoga Theatre at the Durham Arts Council. I had never been to the facility before, it was a nice surprise the cozy confines of the small theatre. I estimated 100-150 people attended this event.
Admittedly, I had severe trepidations that anything good could come from this experience; I tend to prefer literal to interpretive in art. The performance began with three people sauntering out with very little, very tight fitting clothing and hoisting their rear ends in the air while waving their legs about rhythmically to trippy music. I knew then and there it could get no better.
There were no words of course, and even the music barely featured language, but the tragedy to me was the inability for the performance to capture any narrative, any emotion, or any expressive qualities. There were some interesting contortions (some painfully and mystically held for too long to bear watching), but the performers carried no expressions in their actions. It felt more a witnessing of an exercise than a performance with any expression to make of any kind. There was one sequence that did clearly seem to represent a couple making love, which was disconcerting given the inability to make any meaning other than this sequence and also because of the disinterest I held for viewing these people simulate love-making.
The most intriguing moves were partner moves and those were usually very impressive. I cannot describe them properly, but there was lots of amazing supports for others to perform moves that would be hard enough on a matt, let alone on someone else's back while they struck a pose of their own. My favorite was a moment where a woman suspended her entire body from a man's foot while he lay on his back, she clutched with her hands and sat there like a cat on a ledge.
It got a standing ovation for reasons I could not fathom. Lisa kindly suggested that it was due to the strong yogi community presence in the room and their appreciation of the yoga moves the performers held, which were of the top quality. Maybe yogic-minded people could take some appreciation, but I did not. Overall, it was a tiresome experience I would recommend to no one. The gaping flaw was a dearth of meaning behind any of the movements and postures, limiting the experience to a side show quality of contortionism.
Admittedly, I had severe trepidations that anything good could come from this experience; I tend to prefer literal to interpretive in art. The performance began with three people sauntering out with very little, very tight fitting clothing and hoisting their rear ends in the air while waving their legs about rhythmically to trippy music. I knew then and there it could get no better.
There were no words of course, and even the music barely featured language, but the tragedy to me was the inability for the performance to capture any narrative, any emotion, or any expressive qualities. There were some interesting contortions (some painfully and mystically held for too long to bear watching), but the performers carried no expressions in their actions. It felt more a witnessing of an exercise than a performance with any expression to make of any kind. There was one sequence that did clearly seem to represent a couple making love, which was disconcerting given the inability to make any meaning other than this sequence and also because of the disinterest I held for viewing these people simulate love-making.
The most intriguing moves were partner moves and those were usually very impressive. I cannot describe them properly, but there was lots of amazing supports for others to perform moves that would be hard enough on a matt, let alone on someone else's back while they struck a pose of their own. My favorite was a moment where a woman suspended her entire body from a man's foot while he lay on his back, she clutched with her hands and sat there like a cat on a ledge.
It got a standing ovation for reasons I could not fathom. Lisa kindly suggested that it was due to the strong yogi community presence in the room and their appreciation of the yoga moves the performers held, which were of the top quality. Maybe yogic-minded people could take some appreciation, but I did not. Overall, it was a tiresome experience I would recommend to no one. The gaping flaw was a dearth of meaning behind any of the movements and postures, limiting the experience to a side show quality of contortionism.
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