Congrats to Sarah for getting a performance together in a not particularly
dance-friendly community like Cleveland. I was at the show last night
(physically, not virtually). There has been much talk in this group about
hyping of dance/technology work, and of hype over substance. This concert
certainly fell into that category - much of the hype generated from the
company itself. Cleveland was saturated with coverage of this concert -
radio, newspapers - I don't know about TV, but it wouldn't surprise me.
I came away from the concert (at half time, I'm afraid) feeling cheated and
not a little angry. There was no real engagement with the internet here,
no addressing of non-linearity or non-narritivity, little attention even to
notions of technology other than at the very surface (dancing with computer
keyboards...). The "internet scenes" presented as interludes
(interviews???) between the pieces was not even real - or should I say was
not even a particularly good fake. A few screens from Netscape mocked up
in Director does not really make for a dialog between live dance and the
virtual world.
I didn't of course see the netcast, but that seems a little beyond the
point anyway.
Sorry to seem so negative, Sarah, if you're listening - but this event and
its attendant hype (or perhaps _particularly_ its attendant hype) is more
likely to hurt serious work with dance and technology than promote it. It
was a nice modern dance concert - but it wasn't really anything more than
that.
phew
R
R i c h a r d P o v a l l
Assoc. Prof of Computer Music and New Media / Chair, TIMARA Dept.
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