I was walking in through the front steps, after getting some fresh air and the usual hub-bub and business of the foyer had been stilled. A silent gathering had accumulated around the main steps from which a chorus of silent people descended. All wearing black they slowly moved down the staircase until they filled the whole space. It seemed like a funeral procession, which we were all paying respect to. Slowly the blue and yellow umbrellas that I hadn’t noticed them carrying started fidgeting, coiling, opening, shivering.
It was Nenagh Watson’s ‘Choreography of Opening and Closing’. Presenting the work/discoveries of a workshop held earlier in the day, this chorus of puppeteers/animators/workshopees animated the umbrellas in such a captivating way, the audience were transfixed. For the next 5 minutes the umbrellas, all with individual characters played, argued and danced on the steps, to the distant tunes of Shane Beales and random interjections from Vibe Cube. No sooner had this umbrella flash-mob started, one by one, the umbrellas launched themselves in the air; cascading into a hap-hazard pile at the base of the stairs, and the chorus dissolved away.
A powerful moment that almost felt like the finale of the weekend, but it’s not over yet. The audiences are just taking their seats for the final performances of the evening and there is live music playing in the bar for the ‘Final Note’. Still, not long left now.
Such a highlight of the weekend for me…I was a bit rushed off my feet but this is one of the few things that made me catch my breath, calm down and enjoy myself.
nice live music to show, i enjoy this show, thank you