Witnessing Performance Art at its Finest
Taking L&S 25 during Spring 2017 has been a truly rewarding experience. Not only did I have the opportunity to learn about the history of counterculture through the lens of California’s rich history and present, I also got the chance to witness some amazing performances that have sparked in me a genuine interest for performance art. In particular, the two main performances that we watched this semester were Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater and Steve Reich with ‘Ensemble Signal.’ Both these events featured starkly different performances, dance and music respectively. Yet, in their different ways they managed to create a countercultural voice that shared a lot of similarities as well.
On Sunday, January 29, 2017 I had the privilege of attending the live musical event featuring Steve Reich and Ensemble Signal. It was my first ever musical show in the United States, and the performances I was going to witness were something I had never seen before. While I was looking forward to the event, I did not really know what to expect. I didn’t know whether I was going to like the event or not, but I went in with an open mind.
Entering Hertz hall that evening, my first impression upon entering the auditorium was — WOW! The stage was so beautiful! I had never been inside Hertz hall, and so looking at the great monumental structure at the background of the stage was a fascinating experience. On stage were many beautiful instruments lined up, like the pianos, vibraphones etc., waiting for their performers to work their charm on them. The beautiful stage had me mesmerized, and the mild lighting around the hall gave the whole experience a surreal feeling, one that was setting the stage for things to come.
The performances were breathtaking from the start to finish. What was even more amazing was the diversity and breadth of performances put up on show for the audience to savor. The event began with the one and only Steve Reich along with Brad Lubman, as they caught everyone’s eye with an enthralling performance called Clapping Music (1972). It was indeed mind boggling to witness Steve and Brad produce music without any instruments, with just their hands clapping and producing sound.
Witnessing this performance, I couldn’t help but think to myself the kind of culture that Clapping Music countered. Whenever people talk about music, they associate with it big instruments and equipment. However, in his interview with Classic FM (http://www.classicfm.com/artists/steve-reich/guides/clapping-music-steve-reich/), Steve talks about his motivation behind making this piece, which was actually a group of women he and his ensemble had seen perform with their guitars in Belgium. Steve hadn’t quite enjoyed their performance, but then they suddenly started clapping. This is when he first realized the hidden potential that the simple act of clapping was capable of. He realized that what they were doing with their hands was a lot more enjoyable than their performance with the guitars and this is essentially what Steve tries to convey through this piece of music. During live shows and events, there can be instances of power failure, or instruments just not playing. In that situation, one can’t really do much but just curse bad luck. But the Clapping Music on the other hand requires nothing but the human body as instrument. It is the kind of music that is accessible for anyone to practice, regardless of their socio-economic status. One need not require fancy and expensive instruments to practice this kind of music. Its simplicity and effectiveness adds a whole new dimension to it.
While this first event was so dazzling, it was a sign of great things to come in the near future. The other amazing show that I got the chance to witness was Alvin Ailey’s Dance Theater. I’m not the most keenest of persons when it comes to watching dance shows featuring modern contemporary artists, since I was never exposed to one in my younger days. That was until 14th March, 2017 when I attended my very first live dance performance featuring Alvin Ailey’s American Dream Theater.
Despite being a newbie in the world of dance shows, I had in fact heard a little bit about Alvin Ailey. I was aware that he was known for telling stories of his experience living as an African-American in the old days, infusing modern dance forms and hence revolutionizing African American participation in 20th century concert dance. Once again, coming into the show I did not really know what to expect. Looking at the large audience around the gigantic Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley, I gauged that there was a lot of anticipation amongst the audience for the performances, especially for Revelations (1960).
Revelations, choreographed by Alvin Ailey himself, is a performance composed of a delightful medley of African American culture and song sermons, exploring the “places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul” (https://www.alvinailey.org/). Through “Revelations,” Alvin Ailey looked to showcase the struggles and the dark times he endured while growing up in Texas, a white-dominated state. This piece has over time become one of his most famous and watched dance performances. It was indeed a surreal experience watching all three sections of Revelations. The cheering crowd and the magical, on point stage special effects just made the night one to remember.
Alvin Ailey, like Steve Reich, also counters the mainstream culture of performance arts through Revelations. This dance piece is something that is much larger than Ailey’s dance company. It represents the faith, beauty and the joys of togetherness that dance has the capability of bringing about. Being an African-American, Ailey mastered a dance form that in the 1960s was only known by a certain section of the society. He showcased that dance can be accessible to anyone who has the willingness to learn, countering the prevailing notion that dance was something that could only be seen as a thing of enjoyment for the rich, high class society. However abstract people’s notions of dance may be, dance has the ability to bring people together.
These two performances that I got the opportunity to witness first-hand have given me a whole new perspective regarding the performing arts. Such pieces have the ability to counter and challenge the prevailing norms and bring out change. Clapping Music and Revelations together form a counter-cultural notion that art in general cannot be confined to only certain privileged sections. It needs to be accessible and free for all to practice. Only then can we continue to create more masterpieces like Alvin Ailey and Steve Reich did.
