PATHWAYS Noli Timere Workshop

PATHWAYS Noli Timere Workshop

On May 31, Rebecca Lazier and her dancers led a small group of residents from Chatham, Albany, Hudson and the Berkshires through the suspended rehearsal nets in the PS21 main pavilion. We began the workshop in a large circle, where community members and dancers introduced themselves. Rebecca walked participants through the creation of and theory behind her collaboration with Janet Echelman and Jorane. Following introductions, participants were walked through a series of preliminary movements underneath the nets, where they could safely get a sense for their structure, their weight, and how the body interacts with the network. Once everyone felt comfortable, community members learned how to get into the suspended nets and roll – then walk – across the aerial sculpture. The joy on everyone’s faces was truly palpable once mid-air, and the physicality required by the performance really began to click.  Each community member then partnered with one of Rebecca’s dancers in an improvisational movement exploration. A central theme of Noli Timere is the interconnectedness of every movement and person in the net – one tiny movement cannot help but impact all of those suspended within the net’s hold. The dancing duos, then trios, explored these dynamics, culminating in soaring leaps and jumps that demonstrated the full strength and power of Echelman’s ethereal aerial sculpture.