Review: Liquidus by Tabula Rasa Dance Theater
At a time when many, certainly myself, may be doubting the possibility of live theatre and dance to adapt to these monumental circumstances, Liquidus by Tabula Rasa Dance Theater proves how live performance can still be stunningly powerful in the virtual format.
Liquidus begins with four NYC performers, who have subsisted without support, unemployment benefits or relief during this lockdown, on screen, each dancing from their own created stage in their respective homes. Although physically separated during the opening sequence, the digital boxes fade as they appear united.
Jonatan Lujan, Argentinian performer who tested positive for COVID-19, begins with his solo “Liquidus Vagus”. His movements juxtapose between gentle fluctuations and mechanical, reminiscent to me of that period of confusion and uncertainty when overwhelmed with media news of the approaching pandemic.
Japanese performer Noriko Naraoka, who also tested positive for COVID-19, performs next. The monotonous music becomes secondary to her gentle, self-comforting dance. She appears to be moving into a despairing embrace of acceptance into being trapped, although longing and reaching for something blocked out by the sound of the relentless machine and persistent beeping.
Winnie Asawakanjanakit, a Thai performer who tested negative for COVID-19, seems to embody being trapped in one’s own mind while in isolation with her eerie, almost ritualistic descent into chaotic powerlessness, her stage becoming a canvas as she brandishes paint on the enclosed box caving in around her.
The piece closes with Mexican performer Felipe Escalante, who tested negative for COVID-19, and is the Founder and Artistic Director of Tabula Dance Theater. Eerie sirening clashing with balletic upbeat tunes sets the tone, as Escalante viscerally explores through patterns of convulsing and stillness the kinds of powerless changes our bodies may go through during this time in confinement, paranoia or illness.
Felipe Escalante
The costumes coordinated by Executive Director Amy Fine Collins, designed by Geoffrey Beene, Noriko Naraoka and Sergio Perez echo the bold bodies and spirits of each dancer's piece.
The music by Felix Huerta creates a haunting soundscape against which the dancers seem forced to fight against, or conform too.
Despite the performance encapsulating an expression of painful feelings during this pandemic, there remains an element of hope. Liquidus seems to ask: can this period of monumental suffering shape change for the future, a positive remodelling of our connection with body and mind to emerge as a more empathetic humankind? Or will we be left in a darker place than before? The performers demonstrate the vitality of art in this time, thriving on the virtual platform, continuing to work our bodies and minds through the unignorable difficulties of these past few months towards a brighter future.
Don’t miss the final performance of Liquidus August 15th at 7pm EST, and visit the Tabula Rasa Dance Theater website for more information about upcoming performances.
