On Thursday, December 4th, I attended a performance with two friends that was held at 7:30pm at The Tank, which is a small theater located at 217 East 42nd street. Ann Keilson and Collaborators presented the show and it was an alternative approach to exploring the origins of life and the process of evolution. The venue is a non-profit arts presenter and serves as the host for a wide-range of productions. The Tank’s mission is to allow artists with new ideas to showcase their work in an inexpensive, resourceful, shared and hospitable way. The Tank aims to help the younger generation create a following for budding artists, live shows and community dialogue. Nine college graduates founded The Tank in 2003 with the desire to seize a space of New York City that is dedicated solely to the cultivation of artists without the issues of money, competition and exclusivity taking priority. Over the past five years, the organization has grown from being a group of volunteers to utilizing a paid staff with support from foundations and government.
The show took place on the floor with a circle of chairs lined up against the walls of the theater for the audience to sit in. With only about 35 people in attendance, the show felt personal and organic. There were three women who danced and another two people to assist with the lighting and musical aspects of the show. With a total of five people contributing to the presentation, it was low-key and modest and the emphasis was entirely focused on the movements of the dancers. The lighting remained dim throughout the show, which added a sense of drama, passion and intensity. Each woman wore a simple outfit that had no attention grabbing accessories or colors. This helped direct the focus to their facial expressions and body language. Their dance began with crawling and creeping motions and each woman appeared to be dancing on her own with no relation to the others. Gradually, the movements transitioned into some small steps and lunges and then finally into full-fledged strides and walking. In between some of the movements, the woman did some kicking and jumping that seemed a bit out of place with the majority of actions in the performance. The dance lasted for 45 minutes and by the end, the women were visibly drained, which showed how strenuous the movements were for that long of a period. When the dance was finished, the audience was welcomed to stay and chat with the dancers and hang out. We spoke with one of the dancers to gain a sense of her personal feelings about the performance and what it meant to her. She clarified that the sometimes erratic movements within the dance were supposed to represent the evolution of insects and how many different kinds of creatures developed that had different ways of moving. The dancer also explained that some of the motions were meant to symbolize the gradual extinction of certain species and how it can be random and inexplicable. She was very forthcoming with her ideas and thoughts about the dance and the conversation brought a nice close to the experience.
I had never been to such a small and up close dance production with that sort of a message and theme behind it so this experience was completely new to me. The event showed me a brand new way to look at evolution, a process that had always seemed so straightforward and scientific to me, that involved movements instead of facts and data. Although I enjoy watching dance performances and dancing for fun, I do not think that I would want to attempt what these women did with their thoughtout dance and message. I am not sure the show has value in the academic community but it was a worthwhile event to go to in order to witness a new form of expression. The purpose of The Tank and the events it hosts are positive contributions to the community and make it possible for artists to get their message out to the public in a forum that is personal and inviting. Since the show was meant as a way to convey the artists’ ideas and viewpoint with room for interpretation, I believe it was successful in getting the desired message across. It was plain to see that the women were moving in ways that they felt represented animal and human evolution. The shows that take place at The Tank are meant to put out ideas in an affordable way so in order to broaden the impact, there would need to be a larger venue that has the same goals and values that would have the capacity to host more people in the audience.
I enjoyed the event because it was a brand new experience and I went to it with friends, which made it easier to talk about after the show was finished. It was helpful to hear some perspectives that were different than mine from my friends and also from the dancer that we spoke to when the dance was over. The venue itself was intriguing and it’s history and mission added to the overall experience. I think the purpose of The Tank is helpful in generating new ideas and giving a voice to young artists.