MixTape III - a little about Sorrow

There was a piece performed in Mixtape by Angela entitled "Sorrow." Now I hold some inside information in regards to the making of this piece, fortunate man that I am. But there is a premise in it of memories (including specific sounds in this case) which exist in the body. It is an incredibly interesting and unusual piece of performance. And those who know me will recognize in advance what I am likely more to say about it. So I won't rush it! Ah, yes, yes, yes, the foundation, the basis, of theatrical art, its existence, the very thing that distinguishes it from other arts - personal experience, existing as memory, manifested in theatrical form by the actor, with his or her self/body as the means of expression, taking on its very own new immediate life. Yes, this is theatre. But in "Sorrow" it is somewhat of an abstracted form. We hear the associated sounds in the literal, although many are not necessarily recognizable. And the relationships of the sounds themselves to each other is not identifiable. In other words we are not hearing a progression of sounds that may exist at a carnival for example or at a sporting event or on a walk near the ocean. The mask that Angela wears in the presentation of this piece is prominent, powerful, and painted a strong yellow. It is also distinctly sorrowful. A performer of lesser ilk might have opted to try and convey the premise, thereby making it novel and the object of the spectators muse. Angela worked to just let it be, a kind of raw expression wrought from the body, with individual sounds rising and then coming up together in two, three or more. It is not an easy piece, for performer or for spectator. And yet it is a goldmine. As a performer Angela has a powerful and agile body. But if you asked me to explain the kind of movements and gestures she made in this piece to give it life I would have difficulty, great difficulty. She sat on a little stool, covered by the mask, a long dress, (a shawl once), bare hands, bare feet. And she made little movements, here and there, arm, torso, head, leg, foot, hip, hand, each of which seemed all at once painful and joyful. I don't know. Think birth. Or cocoon hatching, or some unusual life-giving physical event. At times those events look senseless, unattractive or just pitiful. Yet we know what they produce. Along the way we experience those "OMG is this child ever going to be born!" moments. And we find calming moments, gracious moments, grating moments, confusion... and something we can only feel, not say, or represent.