Nick Cave's Sound Suits

Cut and paste from the KQED website:

The Yerba Buena Center commissioned choreographer Ronald K. Brown to create a dance that allows an audience to see and hear the suits in action. (Cave, who trained with Alvin Ailey before earning a graduate degree in fashion, has performed in the soundsuits before.)

The performance that Brown choreographed complements the variety found within the suits themselves, incorporating elements of African, ballet, hip-hop and modern dance. There is no stage for the performance, instead dancers begin their performance at the top of the stairs in the foyer of the Yerba Buena Center, and move through the building in a few rounds, hitting all of the gallery spaces, and stopping at intervals to dance-off with, and sometimes up on, the attendees. There is no music for most of the performance so the audience can listen to the sounds the suits make, but to be honest, I felt that aspect was the least interesting part of the show. They do make noise, mostly in muted tones like swishing hair and the rustling raffia, but the beauty of the suits in motion and the marvel of their construction dwarf the sensation.

A word of advice: if you make it to one of the performances: let the dancers come to you rather than battle the crowd that inevitably follows them on their parade through the Art Center. It is easier to stake out a spot in the building's foyer or the smaller gallery to see one of the longer choreographed pieces. If you can't make it to one of the performances, it is definitely still worth a trip to the Yerba Buena Center to see the soundsuits, and stand in awe of Cave's craftsmanship.

The Ronald K. Brown performance is free with admission to exhibit at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31, 2009 at 3pm. Meet Me at the Center of the Earth will be on display until July 5, 2009.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Nick
• Cave
• KQED
• Ronald
• Brown
• 2009

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