The nighttime art show entitled "Slow Dancing" by David Michalek at the Music Center courtyard tonight was one of the most unique and soul stirring art shows I've ever witnessed. There were four 16 foot screens onto which were projected high definition images of dance artists from around the world. The catch is, only five seconds of dance from each artist is filmed in hi-def, and then played in super slo-mo so that those 5 seconds translate into 10 minutes of "almost still" dancing. It was a trip to see the purposeful and graceful movements of these dancers slowly evolving as still lifes. There was something primitively beautiful about the different types of dance being portrayed by all kinds of people. At the same time, it was haunting and surreal to see these 10 foot tall people moving at a snail's pace on screens. I almost felt like these were dancer's "trapped" in a cage of sorts, while we voyeuristically observed their movements. Another great message was that all people, no matter, race, creed, or gender, have expressed themselves throughout time to the highest degree through dance. It almost seemed like "dance" was a condensed history of human experiences based on culture and tradition. Heck, there was an asian pregnant woman jumping around in slo-mo doing things I have never done on the dance floor. To top it all off, KCRW's very own Jason Bentley (an idol of mine) kept the momentum going...although we were a little disappointed to note that he was using Traktor DJ and was not mixing, or even beat matching many of the songs. No matter, I was fortunate enough to shake his hand and tell him that he "inspired me". It was a sweet art show.
