Interrupted: A Collaborative Performance will feature an interdisciplinary performance with many different art forms.
By Jasmine Putney
Aerobics class, crutches, and cell phones have all nestled into a performance with thought-provoking themes and striking delivery, leaving the viewer pondering the method to the madness.
Tonight, University of Iowa graduate students of the class Collaborative Performance will perform Interrupted: A Collaborative Performance at 8 p.m. in the Theater Building’s Thayer Theater. Interrupted will showcase dance, film, music, sound design, and theater.
Chris Yon, a choreographer and sound designer for the show, said collaborating has been rather hectic.
“It’s been like throwing Hail Marys as deadlines approach. Like ‘let’s try this,’ ” Yon said. “It’s just waiting for one person to act, and once one person acts, then everyone can respond, and there’s a sort of ripple of activity and connection-making.”
The course Collaborative Performance has been offered the past few years and has produced shows ranging from humorous to abstract. Yon said the class has been the most real-to-life creative experience he has had.
“You know, people say the process is more important than the performance; And, in this instance, the process is definitely way more important,” he said. “Even if what we’re making isn’t the greatest show ever, we are learning.”
Yon doubts this will be the greatest show ever, because the process hasn’t been entirely smooth, he said.
“I think if you are into witnessing train wrecks or buildings falling down, this is the show for you,” Yon said. “You won’t be able to look away for sure. And if you know anyone in the show, you’ll be able to hold this over them for the rest of their lives.”
One large hiccup in the preparation affected Alvon Reed, a graduate student in dance who had anticipated dancing in the show. But because of knee surgery, Reed was incapable of fulfilling his usual role and sought to apply his talents through choreography. However, he said, it is difficult to be heard when everyone desires to have a voice.
“We put our egos, our own ideas, aside in order to achieve our greater goal,” he said.
Paula Lamamié de Clairac Garrido, a dancer in Interrupted, said it was not only the balance of opinions that was difficult but the assembly and direction of the piece. When working alone, she said, she has an idea of what the end product will look like; in Interrupted, the creators and performers had to discover the performance together.
“Here, the crosses of minds and inputs have created something different with a lot of entry points for the audience,” Lamamié said.
Dance Assistant Professor Michael Sakamoto, who co-instructs Collaborative Performance, said though the creative process was difficult for the class, he is pleased with the result of the collaboration.
“After a lot of trial and error, the group has finally crafted a show that is provocative for the viewer in many different ways on many different levels,” he said. “And some of the scenes are abstract, some of them are very literal and accessible, some of them are funny, some of them are mysterious and dark.”
Interrupted aimed to do more than simply combine several art forms. The show highlights a specific concept that, Reed said, affects nearly everyone. The messages in the show are not always explicitly presented, but they were a driving force behind the implicit conception and execution style of the show, he said.
“We talk about man-made interruptions, daily life interruptions such as the phone or an emergency, how love interrupts things,” he said. “All these different types of interruptions we’re trying to bring forth in this piece to make it look like something is always being halted in this process.”
Sakamoto said each time he sees the show, he believes he is on a constant edge of questioning, of mystery, and of amusement. The students worked to give a precise depiction of how plans, goals, and intentions are sometimes just not quite resolved.
“There’s nobody in the show who’s a very specific, fully fleshed-out character. But for me, they all evoke something out of their daily, ordinary existence,” he said. “That’s one thing that contemporary artists — when they’re good, they’re very good at — is digging into the subtleties of everyday life. I think this show is an example of that.”
Interrupted: A Collaborative Performance
When: 8 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Theater Building Thayer Theater
Admission: $12 Nonstudents, $6 Seniors (65+), $6 Students & Youth, Free UI Students (with valid IDs)
