Post Gazette: A "gimp" can be a lame person. But it can also be a ribbon-like fabric or a fighting spirit. It can also mean an uneven gait or the ability to turn, vacillate and tremble ecstatically. All of that was contained in "GIMP," a Heidi Latsky Dance production that was presented by FISA in partnership with the Pittsburgh Dance Council and the August Wilson Center, where it was performed Saturday night.
Monday, October 17, 2011
'GIMP' offers look at wide spectrum of people
Post Gazette: A "gimp" can be a lame person. But it can also be a ribbon-like fabric or a fighting spirit. It can also mean an uneven gait or the ability to turn, vacillate and tremble ecstatically. All of that was contained in "GIMP," a Heidi Latsky Dance production that was presented by FISA in partnership with the Pittsburgh Dance Council and the August Wilson Center, where it was performed Saturday night.
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4 comments:
This is why I think that theatre and dance are great. The social/cultural information that this piece is conveying is important. The author mentions several times that the audience felt uncomfortable at times. Theatre can be a platform to teach and engage patrons in areas that may not be PC to talk or discuss otherwise. Theatre often makes me uncomfortable, but it will push me to think about things that I wouldn’t have thought about on my own.
I think this is a great way to confront the issues of people seeing those with physical disabilities as "others". Those people also don't often get the publicity or recognition that other performers do, and I'm glad they got a platform to do it in. I also really like that dance confronted this issue in a way that both made the audience think and admire those people. Putting social commentary in dance is a truly great thing because the art lets the audience be more accepting of it, and I wish more people would push that envelope more.
I think pieces like this are important. Often times there are those in the theatre world that get wrapped up in something being considered "beautiful" or otherwise being commercially appealing to an audience. But it is vital to explore issues that have sometimes been considered taboo. Many people experience these things and feel as they have no outlet to express their feelings concerning them because they are embarrassed or feel as if they will not be accepted. IF they could see a piece of art being performed concerning them they themselves might feel better. This will also help audiences learn more about the true nature of the darker parts of what occur in today's day and age.
I think that one of the things theatre and dance as art forms do well is highlighting all of the elephants in the room of daily life, such as disabilities, and not only acknowledge them through the specific lense of a performance, but allow audience members to take those experiences with them when they leave, and thus perpetuating themselves outside of themselves. This performance sounds like it does this with a grace and poignance that highlights different types of people without asking for pity.
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