Freshman, Alison Sanchez, wrote this article with contributions from freshman classmates and Freshman English teacher, Ms. Ortiz-Feliciano.
On December 4, freshman students of WHSAD traveled to Park Avenue Armory to view two performances: The Rite of Spring and common ground[s].
Before the performance began students were taken into the Veterans’ Room where they were introduced to teaching artist, Marsh Swiney, who provided students with a brief introduction to both performances, as well as a set of guidelines they would follow as audience members. Students would then remain in the Veterans’ Room waiting to be seated for the performance. It was during this time that students were then asked to share any questions they had on either the performance or the armory itself.
One question that seemed to be of interest to many students was the architecture of the building. Students asked about why it was designed this way, and if there had been any reasoning behind it. The teaching artist, Ms. Swiney, answered that the Armory had once been a militia regiment and had once been used to draft soldiers. This further interested students as to the details within the walls and the structure knowing the history behind the building.
Students then continued conversation among each other on different aspects of the armory which they found interesting before being brought out to the Wade Thompson drill hall.
The performance began without warning. All the lights in the drill hall were completely shut off, leaving everyone in the audience in complete darkness causing the audience to erupt into whispers of confusion. Amidst all the noise a single light could be seen at the center of the stage directing all the attention to the two performers, Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaud.
During the performance of common ground[s] the music changed to represent the emotion which the performers wished to convey to the audience. At the beginning, the music starts slow and isolated using only one instrument which eventually becomes a mix of different instruments. As it progresses, the music becomes more detailed and heavy, building a sense of uneasiness and suspense in the audience who is completely unaware of what might be occurring.
Common ground[s] tells a story by incorporating simple materials into their dance, such as a cloth, rocks, water and a wooden stick. The use of such natural materials allows for the audience to follow and completely focus their attention on performers, which creates a deeply intimate and tender atmosphere shown progressively in moments where the performers Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaud say nothing but act through their actions as they dance along each other and simply hold each other.
The first performance lasted 30 minutes. Once it ended, the hall lit up once again. The audience then waited during intermission as stagehands prepared the stage for the next performance, Rite of Spring. During this intermission, staff members were seen bringing out containers full of dirt, which would then be laid out on the ground. Because the performances took place in such a big and open space, intermission lasted around 30 minutes, which also provided students and other members of the chance to prepare themselves for the next performance by Pina Bausch.
Similar to common ground[s], Rite of Spring opens on a seemingly calm note which then completely changes, almost like the flowers of spring and only becoming more ‘out of control’ before completely stopping.
Rite of Spring is so unique because of the story it tells. Unlike what is most commonly seen and performed on stage, Rite of Spring is a performance that haunts the audience. It begins with a feeling of eeriness that follows you throughout the entire performance. It’s violent in a way that leaves you wondering. The music only accentuates this fact with its haunting notes. An example of this being seen in The first dance, “Augurs of Spring” in which the music leaves behind a haunting and harrowing sound.
Rite of Spring and common ground[s] were two performances that each held qualities unique to their respective works, demonstrating how beautiful and captivating modern dance can be even to first time visitors. Park Avenue Armory is a beautiful landmark rich in history that only enhances the experience of each performance. Park Avenue Armory is a place where creativity can truly exist, allowing for such groundbreaking work to exist in a place open and welcoming to everyone who is willing to participate.
Here are a few more narratives from students who attend the trip:
The modern dances showcased to me at Park Avenue Armory were really different from anything I’ve ever seen before. The first dance was slow paced and a little sleepy. Even though there was not much going on, it was still interesting because the dancers were older in age- something you don’t see very much in dance. It had a special feeling to it because of the way the dancers moved. The second act had a much more fast paced dance and was more energetic. I really enjoyed this one because they had used the unique element of dirt. The way the dancers moved all across the stage kept your attention. I’m really glad I got this opportunity, and I would see the performances again.
Mariella Espino
On Monday, December 4th WHSAD and other schools attended a trip to the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan to watch two modern dance performances. The show started with the first performance, which had two women performers both in their 70s, which is very unique because most dancers retire in their 40s. They danced together using props such as chairs, staff, rocks, and water. The lighting and music also changed throughout the performance to help describe the story that the dance portrayed. The second performance we watched had both men and women dancing together. All of them were from different countries in Africa and came together to showcase a story for the audience. Their story was about a young girl who, if she stopped dancing, would be chosen as a sacrifice. For this act they also used props such as real dirt for the floor and dressed in white to represent their purity and then red when the one was chosen. Both dances were very magnificent and structured beautifully.
Elizabeth Cruz
On December 4th, 2023 I went on my first ever trip to Park Avenue Armory, and it went really well. When we first entered the building, I was met with a beautiful castle-like interior that kind of reminded me of Vampire Diaries, so that was cool, and we were all so amazed by the building’s amazing design and architecture. After a while we finally made our way to the very huge theater where we waited until my favorite part happened…The lights went off and it was pitch black. After the first show we were amazed at how professional the crew was at preparing the next show, and we waited some more until the lights turned off again and we watched an amazing performance until it unfortunately had to end, and we all clapped and cheered.
Marjorie Santana