DCDanceBlog

on saturday night we wandered over to 14th street to see the show “chance,” a video projection of dance scenes that is being held around town this month. the dancers were folks i know and like, ginger wagg and jane jerardi and brian buck, and the scene was very cool. the video was being projected on a brick wall above a parking lot, so people were coming and going, trying to maneuver their cars through the waxing and waning throng of folks who’d wandered over from the restaurant, viridian, next door. i loved the fact that “average folks”–ie, non-dancers–were staying to check things out.

the video itself was really captivating. some of the scenes were shot at glen echo, in a beautiful huge hall. others took place near water, with shots of waves dominating the screen. and others were in a green meadow. the dancers were lovely and the camera shots were unusual and really made the film interesting.

i wonder if boris, for example, would ever think of taking the many films on his blog and somehow showing them in a more public way. blogs are one vehicle for communication, and they’re very effective, but they’re experienced in a personal way and therefore are quite distinct from performance, for better or worse.

i was impressed–as i have often been–with how well jane and her compadres were able to create a happening out of the event. i was once at a gallery opening where they were putting on a small show and remember what a big crowd they had gathered, and how hip everyone seemed. this recent show–the idea of doing 4 showings around town, in outdoor venues–is quite brilliant.

the day i saw “chance” on 14th street was the same day i saw maida’s piece at the warehouse. and i loved them both–not just the content and the quality of the art itself, but also the vitality and freshness of both events in their entirety. there is something i’m drawn to in art that i can’t quite explain; it has something to do with how the presentation or motive fits into everyday life, and it gives me a feeling that is the opposite of stale, of cliched, of stereotyped.

if i could have days like this saturday, seeing fresh art, once a month here in dc, then i wouldn’t compare this town to nyc. i would be happy and would agree with a comment on a previous post that the only difference between the two is one of size. for now, however, i’m not sure.