A Minute (or Two) Behind The Scenes
Shen Wei Dance Arts in Rehearsal at Park Avenue Armory
The Dance Enthusiast's Dance Minutes with Shen Wei Dance Arts
video created by Christine Jowers for The Dance Enthusiast
The Park Avenue Armory is its own majestic universe. How can a regular-sized human traverse the enormity of the stage space sans roller skates? How does one avoid tripping over a humongous layered skirt and float on stage ? Or run into the dark?
This past Thursday the artists of Shen Wei Dance Arts spent hours working out such details.
The smallest steps require gargantuan efforts.
"Do you still want to see a little shift, like smoke?" asks one dancer, waving her hand gently in front of her face in the manner of a master calligrapher.
"Maybe next time," calls Shen Wei from a microphone above, "right now we rehearse for timing, lighting, and spacing."
Tonight, after a year-long creative residency, as a Park Avenue Armory artist-in-residence, Artistic Director Shen Wei and his company, Shen Wei Dance Arts willl share their efforts: two re-stagings of celebrated works and one world premiere ,Undivided Divided, that will make use of the boundless possibilities of Park Avenue Armory's Drill Hall.
A Minute to Disappear
A Minute of Gratitude