We went out to dinner at 5:45 PM. Dinner was over at 7:35 which meant we were late for the 7:30 MFA performance at ADF. We only missed the first performance. The second one spoke to Libbie. To the music of Willie Nelson and a voice over about dancers bodies declining over time, the range of movement becomes limited. She sat in a chair and moved her arms.
The dancers name was Gerri Houlihan performing “Semi Good Looker”. She's from the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and was older than most dancers. A “voice over” started with the words “as a dancer's body ages, her range of motion becomes more limited. Gone are extensions of the arms and legs, movement becomes more difficult. The aging process continues with slower movements of a more limited range ”. Then to music of Willie Nelson “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” she sat in a wooden upright chair and gracefully moved her arms and her feet, spent some time sitting there waving them to the music, and then slowly got up to perform her number. She concluded with a second Willie Nelson song, once again using slower and more deliberate motion.
Delirium was a dance couple that looked like someone in rehab. I didn't get the Palm tree and fan or the blood coming from her breast. At the end she dumped Styrofoam peanuts one the ground and danced in them before turning on the fan blowing the pellets as the curtain came down.
After the intermission we had “Marked Territory” which had a live guitar player. Two couples danced, one of the guys also played a trumpet while sitting on a couch. Another forgettable performance since I didn't remember too much about it. Lullen in a New Plantation Economy featured blacks in plantation dress and two people at stage front and stage rear running in place. I think this represents the passage of time. There was some very nice dance by the group of dancers.
The last dancer of the evening, Ruth Andrien, a veteran for 20 years with Paul Taylor. Her number was “Becoming”. She looked back in a mirror at her youth while a dozen dancers, all 20-something year olds, performed traditional Paul Taylor movements to a score of Astor Piazzolla music. Very fitting!!!!! She obviously was watching herself in her youth. When the dancers held hands in a circle of dance she joined in.