Friday, March 21, 2014

In The Spotlight 

After a hasty setup, my audience entered the room and I, on my stage, prepared for my performance. I was careful not to break into a smile but my face twitched as it sometimes does. When the room seemed tense and suspenseful I struck my stance and raised my hands. The noise begun as i tried as furiously as I could to “jazz” my hands. The audience began to giggle and the absurdity was not lost on them, my satire had worked. My theatrical setting and action was intended to draw parallels between theater and performance art. The idea stemmed from Sandy Dias saying “performance art is not theater, it is not rehearsed” but I thought of how I could make it like theater. A stage, an audience, and most importantly jazz hands. The lowering of my arms as I jazzed was intended to lead to and cause the big finish, the gauntlets falling when they would, and me bowing as is customary at the end of show. This show was satire, referential to the very thing I was told performance art was not. That was my intention and I feel that got across.