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July 31, 2005
perceptions
There are dancers who have obvious talent, discipline and grace and others whose performances just don’t come off. Good, bad or indifferent, it’s part of my job and my passion to write about them. At the same time that I'm struggling to find the right words, ones that exactly convey what I see, feel and think, I can't help observing myself.
There’s no doubt that the person I go with occasionally affects me. When I took my Mum, I had to fight the instinct to be super-critical on her behalf. The behaviour of one aquaintance during some stunning contemporary dance was so annoying that I struggled to enjoy it for what it was. Because he was bored one of my best friends decided to keep a running commentary for the duration of a flamenco performance at the Barbican. He kept it going because he was amused by my reaction to his announcement that the male lead had an erection (everyone near us heard him too). The announcement was unnecessary; it was difficult to miss, being the only notable aspect of the whole show! I’ve not invited either of them back.
Normally the reactions of my friends don’t change my feelings or prevent an appreciation of what I see. At “Apparition” by Klaus Obermaier with Rob Tannon and Desiree Kongerod one friend started yawning less than half way through but I still thought it was brilliant.
I enjoyed Flamenco Directo even though someone from my 'inner circle' announced that she believed flamenco would be much better if they didn’t stamp so much, and adored Rafaela Carrasco’s flamenco interpretations knowing that the flamenco dancer sitting beside me did not.
Despite protestations to the contrary, falling asleep did rather let me know what an old friend really thought of a contemporary version of the Four Seasons and I thought he was right. I spent ages wondering whether I'd have liked a Richard Alston production quite as much if I had watched it with a less attractive man, until recently when three quarters of a show left me completely cold despite the fact that I was with someone just as nice.
So having satisfied myself that I’m not unduly influenced by the people I go with with, I’m wondering about whether different seating might affect my perceptions. Should I perform some experiments? See the same performance several times, sitting centrally, left and right in Circle, Stalls and Gods?
Is such speculation pointless? Maybe; but it's fun, and if any of my favourites perform for a good run, I’ll be happy to try…..
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