Saturday, April 7, 2012

Dancing the gallery - gloATL at ACAC

I think they planned this just for me. gloATL danced through the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center on Thursday. Short version: 5 athletes did odd and charming dances all over the odd and charming ACAC building.

They just danced all over the place. No stage, no assigned seats, in fact no seats at all.

They call it "exploring the space." That's the way we architecture tourists like it. May I show you?


This is how my little brain thinks dance.

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I needed to be there.

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This little room was backstage where a quartet of women and a solo man warmed up.

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The crowd gathered and mulled about. ACAC is a funky space, I can' t keep it in my head even when I'm there. I want to peek around corners.


The lonely solo began in a corner. I was the first to notice.

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The quartet started outdoors.

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It sometimes seemed like the ministry of silly walks.

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It was impossibly photogenic.

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The photographers did their own dance.

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But we're used to seeing photographers dance.

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The crowd could move around but most stood still.

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Late arrivals walked right into the company.


They weren't just standing there posing. Hear the freight train in the background?

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They led us inside.

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Lauri put on the Talking Heads then Ray Charles' "I can't stop loving you." There was silence too.

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The quartet gathered in a niche.


They did a mystery dance while the solo attracted the crowd. I thought of the 3 graces (+1) from Primavera.

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Would he join the quartet?

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He moved though the crowd but...

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..no.

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So alone.


They danced in onesies, twosies, and foursies while the solo stayed in the "magic corner."

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Any other performance would be over when Dancemaker Lauri Stallings began answering questions.

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But they danced on.


Making their way backstage.

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Did they do this just for me? A great event catalyzed a great space. Effortless and memorable for me, that's the way I like it.

This is just a warm up for May performances at the Old Fourth Ward skateboard park. You'll want to be on the look out. They plan to perform while the skaters are doing their thing.

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You might be mesmerized.

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