A Length of Rope at The Muse
Brooklyn's Home for Circus and Immersive Events
By: Susan Hall - May 02, 2017
A Length of Rope to hang yourself by? Perhaps. Ariel Schmidtke joined by comic Strangely and Chriselle Tidrick of Above and Beyond Dance, explores the issue of intimacy.
At the Muse, artists develop their work and audiences get a chance to experience cutting edge creations.
On May 5th, the Muse welcomes Ariel from Washington State via everywhere in the world, but especially Paris. As a youth, she was an avid gymnast. When she traveled to France for the first time, she decided to extend her horizons on her Grandmother's turf.
Born in Paris, Grandma had danced with Josephine Baker at the Folies Bergère. Ariel wanted to dance in her footprints.
For Ariel, performance focuses on issues of intimacy. She goes through deep personal experiences on stage and interacts with the audience throughout this process. While the choreography is set, her expressions are not, as she responds to others. An audience "wow," or a small cry of fear awakens her. She uses rope called 'corde lisse.' and a trapeze.
Audiences expect intimacy. Surrounded by its pseudo-form in the social media has heightened the wish for the real thing. Ariel and another performer Chriselle Tidrick are both aware of this need.
Tidrick will perform a world premier dance with gold silk. She has worked hard to make dance on the floor and in the air equally engaging. Her subject is the fear of self-revelation. When do you take the risk? What are its rewards? How do you overcome fear?
What an exciting prospect this evening of new dance holds. Try it out.