How do two dancers look like an entire company and one musician sound like a whole band, you ask? How does a figure appear live on stage with a male torso and female legs or two sets of legs coming from the same belly button? How can a movie, set in an industrial city, have the characters jump in and out of the screen? These are things Atlanta got to experience at the Ferst Theater this weekend (Feb. 25th, 2012) in the Bridgman/Packer Concert.
Myrna Packer and Art Bridgman have been collaborating together since 1978 and have found their artistic path in the integration of technology and movement. Literally, they are taking dance to a new level and have created another dimension on stage. I have seen video used in dance work before, but never like this. The images aren’t just pretty pictures used as background, taking up space or creating a mood. They are the environment in which the performers exist. The pool of projections is the landscape the performers interact with and the repeated images of the dancers make up an entire company. The illusion is so great that much of the time the audience can’t discern which bodies, or body parts, are physically on stage.
