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

  • Interviews

Cannonball Bets on Philadelphia’s Indie Artists

Caitlin Green

“Cannonball is no one person’s vision, but the collective fever dream of us all.”

A group of twelve people pose in front of a white wall. on the floor level, four group members either sit, lie, kneel or lunge on the ground. standing members lean on one another on either side of the crew, and people in the center sit or lay on a bench together.
Photo Credit: Cannonball
  • Interviews

Who am I?

Zoe Farnsworth

Nalini Prakash and Vijay Palaparty discuss identity, tradition, and the evolving 20-year journey of Godavari.

Three dancers, including Nalini Prakash and Vijay Palaparty all face each other in a circle, dressed in vibrant greens, reds and yellows while Vijay wears mostly all white. They are in a dance studio with warm wooden floors. They are all smiling at each other, reaching arms around while balancing on one foot.
Photo: Natasha Cohen-Carroll