David Parsons is not a well-known dancer/choreographer, except among dance aficionados. But his company, which I’ve followed for decades, is most definitely worth watching.
In 1982 Parsons choreographed a solo with strobe lights known as “Caught.” I’ve seen it about four times and it never fails to astound, nor does it pall. One of the reasons I attend performances of his dance company so often is in hopes that this piece will be danced that particular night.
And so I thought to check out You Tube to see whether there’s a video that “catches” the dance’s essence. The following is the best I can do. It’s only a minute long, and the fun (and the strobe) doesn’t really start until halfway into it, at around 36 seconds. What’s more, the illusion on a small two-dimensional computer screen has nothing like the impact of the three-dimensional kinetics on stage.
But it’s still pretty amazing:
Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely 
May 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Hey, thanks neo! That was superb. What a creative vision, and the impact is astounding. I will now look up David Parsons in hopes of finding a performance scheduled in NYC sometime in near future.
So nice to be enlightened by the new: from jello to bacteria to dance, etc. Learning all sorts of new things here!
(Note: That’s over & above the many new dimensions and characteristics — correction: character flaws — of Barack Obama, whose goal seems to be to enlighten us of his shallowness and transparency all on his own!)
May 28th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Two of my favorites in this blog are the ruminations on fun words/grammar posts, and the dance posts.
I can’t recall ever attending a dance performance of any kind. I don’t know that I know what I would be looking for. I assume I would be looking to be moved by the beauty of the movement and the grace and the athleticism. I’ve always intended to learn what I am looking for, and to go, at some future unspecified time which has never come. So, for me, the dance posts are informative and educational.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Very different and imaginative. I liked it, and agree that it’s a unique creative work on the part of the choreographer. I wonder, though, what kind of “touch” the dancer has to have to keep from blowing out a knee or an ankle in the dark. I’m not a dancer, but I’ve played a lot of sports, to include several styles of martial arts, and I know it can be pretty disconcerting for the lights to suddenly go out in mid-jump, even if you know it’s coming.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:33 am
I’ve never been much on performance art styles, but that’s more from lack of exposure than lack of appreciation. I think it can be rather self-indulgent as an art form, but what I’ve seen (obviously cherry-picked by the recommenders) has often been interesting.
I recall being fairly impressed by the performance piece in Legal Eagles (an otherwise unimpressive movie, mind you).