PS #14: Lost in Translation?

A number of recent Philly performances have brought up questions about what happens when you take a dance form originally seen on the street, in a cafe or in the fields onto a proscenium stage.  “Staged spectacles” of indigenous dance forms have been on the scene for ages now but we still might long for the “real thing.” Similarly, when a piece was site specific and is staged in a different space, how much gets lost? What have you seen that falls in one of these categories and how did you feel about the “translation”?

Share this article

PARTNER CONTENT

Keep Reading

Do something else!

Xander Cobb

room/in/nation tests our agency amidst family dysfunction/nation dysfunction.

three performers wearing plain white or black tanks/tees are mid gesture as if having a family argument. The performer in the front hunches their shoulders, crosses their arms, and has mouth open, perhaps in the middle of a sentence. Behind them, another performer looks to be yelling and pointing at the third performer, a hand on their shoulder, who has eyes closed, a soft smile, and holds their fingertips to the center of their chest.
Photo by Zeze Schorsch

The Theatre Begs for Exploitation

Nadia Ureña

Her majesty desperately wants us to consume the beast.

Edu Dìaz dressed in an ornate gown with a big white lacy collar stands speaking to the right. Behind them is a bluye projection of what appears to be someone screaming. The projection is framed by a red velvet curtain.
Photo by Ruby Goldner