An Extremely Wordy Physical Dance

At a festival perhaps defined by the indefinable work it presents, it’s amusing that I’ve spent great lengths deliberating how to categorize shows. The terms dance, theatre, physical theatre, total theatre, etc, seem at once distinct and inseparable. Looking at pieces from Drift to Lip Service to Bound, I have to admit, I’m betwixt and bewildered.

The piece I brought to this festival {Extinguish.} has been labelled everything from theatre to dance to performance art. Not until this festival has it been proclaimed ‘not physical theatre’ because much of the piece is text-based.

I hear arguments in categorizing over how much speaking takes place, or if we can be sure movement or text came first. In my instance, I’m not certain whether an image, a movement, or a word spurred the development of one sequence or another. I beg the question: does it matter which came first, the chicken or the egg?

At the end of the day all theatre is physical, and all dance is theatrical. Where we draw the line is only a matter of taste. So whether {Extinguish.} is  can’t tell you. If I could, I’d be too conventional for my taste.