I don’t remember, but I know I liked it!

I went to see Catherine Cabeen and company last Thursday for their opening night at On the Boards. Her first evening-length work was titled “Into the Void”. The program describes that she was inspired by French artist Yves Klein and his paintings called “The Void” where he uses his famous “International Klein Blue” and covered canvases in the color, and most notably uses naked female bodies as paintbrushes to paint a white canvas. Having known the history of “The Void”, watching archival footage of Klein using the women to paint, and seeing the paintings myself at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, I was able to understand the reference.

To be honest, when I go see performances of any art from I have trouble recalling what happened even immediately afterward. When artists are truly captivating I can not help but fall into a trance when observing. I become so present in their work and in the experience, that I don’t use my energy to record specific moments. It’s quite astounding, but not helpful when you have to write about it for school. At this point I can’t recall specifics about the dancing, the music, the video, the lighting, the costumes, or any of the other art disciplines that Cabeen incorporated into her work. Though I don’t remember much, I can recall certain themes and emotions that were being evoked.

Her work held a strong message of gender identity in art and in social contexts. Cabeen, herself, dressed in drag for most of the show. Through the use of choreography I felt the relationships and communication between the six dancers was made clear.

From what I CAN recall, the music was mostly droney and industrial. She carefully planned the audio for each section. I recall one time when two of the male dancers (one being Catherine) were rolling around on the ground and fighting. The lighting was very dark, and the music was louder than anytime previously. She played with the dynamics of the music that way, quiet sounds for soft sections, and loud sounds for more erratic and intense sections.

I don’t remember much from the show, but I know that the work as a whole was comprised so well that all I can remember is a blur.

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Posted in: Dance