Choreographer: Daniel Nagrin
Performer: Shane O’Hara
I have to say, the relevance of this (somewhat) historical piece to the contemporary political scene, as advertised in the program, eludes me entirely. Perhaps those connections would emerge on subsequent viewings/hearings, but we’ve only got one shot. It’s in the air, and it’s gone. For me, the soundtrack seemed entirely random and I didn’t get it.
What I did get was an amazing demonstration of a classic skill set. This performance has roots that go back at least to Vaudeville and probably beyond. To a time when the lines between actors, comedians and dancers were blurred or non-existent. To a time when performers worked side by side and over the course of time, stole and incorporated bits and pieces of everything useful in their act. Watch the movie Stan & Ollie and you’ll see what I mean. A lifetime spent developing expressions, refining gestures, learning complicated dance steps and the exquisite timing to put it all together. Did I mention the patter? It was a lot, and with WORDGAME: A Cartoon, we were treated to a master class.
The facility and rapidity with which the performer created distinct facial expressions and assumed the various body positions to support and momentarily freeze each of them was simply amazing. Popping and locking might be as close as a contemporary dancer could come, but it would lack the range and subtlety of what we were watching. Even though themes repeated themselves, it took a long time for them to come around on the guitar again, leaving the performer with a very long sequence of gestures, expressions, steps, vocalizations and events which had to be performed with extremely precise timing. Remember shaking the dice? In order to sync with the sound of the dice, he had to cup his hands and shake them at precisely the right instant. That was a one-off, meaning it was going to happen exactly once, at a precise moment that was a unique part of just one of the sequences. This was walking and chewing gum and balancing spinning plates and doing your taxes, all with a smile on your face and a nod to the audience.
Viewed Re/Viewed
Call it corny if you must, but if you consider yourself a performer, you should take a knee in respect.
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