When evaluating a performance like Choreographer Koen Augustijnen’s Badke - or any performance really - in terms of Richard Schechner’s concepts, it is probably most appropriate to start by appreciating the performance since this is the element that, as an audience, one is exposed to. That being said, Badke truly made for a fantastic performance. Personally, I had never seen a one-and-a-half-hour long, continuous, extra-energetic dance performance like this one in my life. The sheer amount of energy that the dancers were putting into every movement without fail was already enough to make for an invigorating performance, and on top of that the combination of all their different dance styles made for a variety that constantly kept the show alive and interesting, despite practically always having the same music looping over and over and always being on the same set. The performance was so lively and invigorating that I (especially being seated on the front row) felt like getting up and dancing with the performers. Additionally the clear symbolism of the performance about the occupation in Palestine was something that really resonated with me, having lived in Abu Dhabi for four years and having had various Palestinian friends throughout that time. The whole performance felt like it was some sort of party in Palestine; with many things that are maybe common there: constant air raid sirens, couples having problems, homosexuelity being explored, dealing with authorities that come to try to shut down the event, and a persistent bunch of people who keep on dancing despite all the adversity.
In terms of the theater that was created, the involvement of all the performers into creating something that is genuinely theirs is evident. By “theirs” I mean that the theater they created was mostly for the sake of the performers themselves, rather than the audience. The performers are enjoying the performance. They dance for themselves and for their own enjoyment before dancing to please an audience. The performers are indeed dancing in a party of sorts, even if it’s within the confined space of a rehearsal room or a performance space. I believe evidence of this from the performance could be seen in two aspects: firstly the fact that in most of the group sequences there was a leader, who would get people together and dancing in synchronization, however this was done in a very organic way, as opposed to a the way in which dance performances typically occur (in my experience at least) where all moves are known by everyone from beforehand. In Badke the performers were constantly feeding off each other’s movements, allowing for a certain type of energy between the performers that truly feels like a party, where movements are not planned and the dancers are simply enjoying. The second instance was one where one of the performance was pointing at random members of the audience and then banging his chest. Talking to the choreographer after the performance, he said that he was meant to be saying something “deep” like that the person he pointed to is in his “heart” or something of the sort. However, his brother comes by and interrupts him as if he were crazy. This precise moment of joking around reveals a commodity in the space and a sense of camaraderie that exists outside of the audience’s influence.
The drama of the performance is most likely something that permeates everything that I’ve said so far. I can only speculate in this regard, but it would seem that the drama originated in the performers and their own experiences rather than the choreographer, who typically is the one with the initial idea. These dancers, with their diverse backgrounds and their Palestinian heritage, bring to the table a specific set of “movement ideas” that could tie in together without much outter help, but it is then up to the choreographer to pinpoint these ideas and weave them together to form a script, which allows for an organized performance and the focused transmission of the message the dancers wished to convey in a more effective manner. However, I would like to argue that the drama of this Badke is something that existed before its inception. It is a drama that is actualized whenever a Palestinian party takes place and the people there dance dabke. It is an abstract mixture of enjoyment and resilience.
Hi Carlos,
ReplyDeleteBefore you post, reread what you wrote. When you do, ask yourself whether the reader can tell my the description and analysis if you thought it was fantastic. Don't tell me it was -- instead show me through highlighting what was fantastic. That will better tell me what you thought of the work.
I love that you started off with performance since that is how you encountered the piece. Since you are using your own experience as evidence, this was an excellent writing move. Watch out for repetition - you said in many different ways that the work was lively and invigorating. But what makes it so? Is the dance relentless and fast and uptempo? How can you describe the physical movement in words that communicate what "lively" means to you in this performance?
And, like in your other posts, break up the paragraphs into concepts. So if one paragraph discusses the moves and choreography that gives the work an air of vitality, you have to figure out a transition from that into the next paragraph to discuss the dramaturgy of the piece that tells a particular story of contemporary Palestinian life under the occupation. That political situation reference in the piece increases what is at stake in the performance -- how do you feel watching that in Abu Dhabi where others in the audience also feel a stake in the outcome? How does the theme of dancing in spite of adversity also have a more universal appeal? And again - how does that tie into Schechner's definition of "performance" (the focus of which you lost along the way).
You almost lost me in your observation of what constituted theater - but your evidence was strong. The show allowed for a call and response between the performers where there was room for improvisation between them. This gave them more agency - I think that is what you are saying. This rough framework also lent vitality to the production. You contradict yourself a bit when you say the performers where playing solely for themselves - especially when you write about audience interaction. But the structure of improve you point to seems to strongly support your assertion - so really good observation! As for the drama - the drama is the arc of the storyline we see on stage - how this dance and these bodies interact during something that looks like a wedding celebration that goes on a very long time and is interrupted by the military. It's the story organized by the choreographers. And the script - which you don't really address is the social dance that is used throughout the work and adapted for the work: dabke, hip hop, ballet.. etc.