‘The Body Politic’ contemporary dance recitals use new venues for inspiration

Twirling movement, straight-line walking and conceptual thinking powered Woodburn Hall 100 Saturday for “The Body Politic: Dance Performances in Sites that Shape Our Lives,” hosted by the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation’s contemporary dance program. \nThe three site-specific performances, lasting 20 minutes each, ran consecutively at 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m., drawing about 100 people on the icy cold evening. Another set of performances are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 at the Monroe County Courthouse atrium. The performances are free. \nAccording to the performance’s program, during a “site performance,” the dancers interrelate with day by day use of the space as well as its architectural rudiments instead of using the stage. In Woodburn 100, dancers are focused on the idea of “transmission of knowledge and the controversial Thomas Hart Benton Indiana murals.” \n“A site-specific performance breaks away from an ordinary stage performance,” Selene Carter, project coordinator and modern dance historian in the Department of Kinesiology, said at the beginning of the performance. \nThe Woodburn Hall performance incorporated live music and recordings that related to the classroom theme. The live music, provided by IU lecturer and member of Sancocho Joe Galvin, included beating on the podium and chalkboard to create a rhythmic sound. The beginning of the performance began in darkness as students used flash lights and movement to focus on the architecture of the room. \nAs the ticking of a clock played over the loud speaker, a student used her flashlight to highlight the chalkboard and wrote “This room is traveling backwards” as another student followed and erased it, creating a sense that it was an illusion. \nCarter led the audience around the room at different segments of the performance as the dancers explored the aspects of farm working, mill working, classroom life and the fight for justice, which are conveyed through the Benton murals and the classroom setting in Woodburn. \n“I’ve done site-specific performances before,” said Carter. “With this one I wanted to explore how the space dictates history. That’s why I chose the space that I did.” \nThe performance was transitioned with dancers wearing all black and moving to old spirituals, exploring the highs and lows of working. \nThe piece ended in a classroom setting with the performers sitting in the lecture hall chairs reading newspapers, listening to iPods, talking on cell phones and chatting as Galvin tapped rapidly on the chalkboard. \n“We want to provide students with a different performing experience,” said Laura Poole, project coordinator and visiting lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology. \nOn Tuesday, the performance will be a different show, based around the history of the courthouse and the distinctive architectural elements. \n“I enjoyed the performance,” said IU sophomore Ashley Smith. “I wish I could make the next performance. They did a really good job at portraying what the murals represented.”