The Performance Animal
The Performance Animal, an immersive performance, is scheduled for 6 pm on April 20th at TheBLANC Art Space, 15 E 40th Street, 12th FL, New York, NY 10016. The performance is a collaboration between Luo Wei, a globally acclaimed pianist and recipient of the Liu Shiming Art Grant in 2023, and the accomplished dancer Zachary Gonder. Together, they will create a surreal and magical virtual scene, using the metaphor of the consequences caused by modern technical dilemmas and the prevalence of nihilism.
The experimental show will be anchored by the music of Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor and Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, which will be performed by Luo Wei. The Performance Animal aims to be a unique and captivating experience that blends music, dance, and virtual art, exploring the boundaries of creativity and expression.
Luo Wei perceives in Prokofiev's music a mechanical, modern, and pristine essence that embodies classical music's response to the challenges of modernity. As an art communicator, she incorporates collective attributes and memories in her creation process, taking on the social responsibility of awakening, connecting, and healing the people of today.
The idea for The Performance Animal arises from the turbulence that the pandemic has brought to every individual. In this era of new media, the interconnectedness of the world through the internet offers a sense of strength and closeness. However, the sudden upheavals exposed the fragility and vulnerability of everything.
As a response to this upheaval, the performance explores the weight of the spirit and survival, with the dancer embodying the pain, confusion, and yearning for hope. Together with the spur of Prokofiev's music, the work aims to reflect the absurdity of life, where people are constantly monitored by invisible eyes and creates a sense of grotesque that is almost inhuman. Nonetheless, the performance encourages its audiences to search for a breakthrough, urging them to overcome feelings of helplessness and powerlessness to transcend and transform their own experiences.
This performance is sponsored by the Liu Shiming Art Foundation. It is curated and produced by TheBLANC Art Space.
Pianist | Wei Luo
Dancer | Zack Gonder
Curation | theBLANC
Honorary Sponsor | Liu Shiming Art Foundation
Date | 7:00pm, 04/20, Invitation Only
Address | TheBLANC Studio
15 E 40th Street, 12th FL, New York, NY 10016