Slow Dancing

Last night, I went to the Music Center plaza with Joan my ballet teacher, Peggy who takes class with me and Pam, who is one of my designer-knitting-reading friends. We were going to see 'Slow Dancing', the free video installation by David Michalek. He is a photographer, married to NYCB dancer Wendy Whelan, who filmed all different kinds of dancers using a high definition high speed camera, then played it back so the movements were all in super slow motion. The variety of dance forms was remarkable: ballet, modern, krump, tap, capoiera, a whirling dervish, belly dancer, indonesian and indian classical dance. We went down for dinner on the patio and then stayed for 3 hours just watching the videos. I was particularly enthralled with the ballet and modern dancers. Their bodies are so remarkable, and then to see the movements ripple across their muscles, the little adjustments that happen during a turn or jump, it was so beautiful. You could see the way their bodies elongate when they jump and then contract as they land, how they isolate the moving parts from the still parts, and how serene many of their faces were as they moved. This installation was shown in NYC this summer and I think there are plans to tour it. If it ever comes to your neighbourhood, it is well worth a visit. The website has a video excerpt of Herman Cornejo of ABT doing a double tour.