Miracle

I went to see Miracle on opening night at EMPAC this weekend. I was not sure what to expect because this was my first “experimental dance” performance I have been to.

According to the Filament guide book, “BalletLab’s Miracle is a triumphant onslaught of choreographic hysteria performed against repetitive mantra, movement, and hymn-like voices.” The group explores cult-life in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Everything from mass-suicides, blind belief and the afterlife.

Overall, I believe that I enjoyed the performance, although it is tough to say why. Because it was my first experience in with this kind of experimental media, I have nothing to compare it too. It definitely kept my interest for the entire duration of the performance and I was completely focused on the dancers.

I especially loved the few short pure dance sequences. All four dancers would tangle themselves up in impossible knots, only to gracefully untangle themselves a few moments later. The dancing was fluid, controlled and smooth. These dancers are obviously very well trained and extremely dedicated to what they do. Watching them was captivating. However, I do wish that there was more “classic” dancing because that was my favorite part.

In the theater, speakers were set up all around the audience. Sounds were coming at the viewer from all angles, which was very dynamic. I actually looked behind me a few times to see who was there because the recordings were so realistic. One criticism that I do have is that certain parts of the performance were too loud. I understand that it was not meant to be a pleasant sound and some parts should have been jarring, but some moments were downright uncomfortable.

In addition to many speakers placed around the theater, there were also microphones placed at different areas all around the stage. The effect of the dancers voiced being magnified as they closed in on a microphone was pretty awesome.

Because the EMAPC theater was a smaller venue with great acoustics, the audience could hear every sound the dancers made. Sounds of their bare feet sticking to the floor, sounds of the dancers being dragged across the stage, sounds of extension cord being smacked against the ground and sounds of their breathing. This had an effect of drawing the audience inward and feeling close to the dancers, no matter what row they were sitting in.

One of my favorite parts of the whole performance was the use of harmonicas in the last scene. Each dancer held a harmonica in their mouth using only their lips. This magnified their breathing so the audience could hear every inhale and exhale. Because it was the end of a long and intense performance, the dancers were breathing hard and couldn’t hide their exhaustion.

All of these parts lead up to the amazing last scene, and my favorite part. I read the program before the show, so I was under the impression that there would be three very distinct parts to the performance. After three parts, the stage went dark, and I was expecting the performance to be over. However, the “music” continued, signaling the audience that the show was not over. After listening to people scurry around on stage, the lights suddenly went up to reveal two levitating dancers cloaked in bright orange and chanting. This effect was so surreal! After watching the first 59 minutes of the show, the audience is lulled into almost a trance. When the levitating dancers came out, for a few seconds I had actually convinced myself that they were in fact floating 2 feet above the ground. Unfortunately, the illusion was slightly ruined by an exposed pole under one of the dancer’s arm. But the image of the final scene will stay with me for a long time.

Overall, I would recommend this performance to my fellow classmates. Just be prepared to come out of the theater scratching your heads.