"24 x 4 x 4" by 1

Written for the Movement Research 2008 Spring Festival blog:

This morning, from my friend Serge in Paree, I receive the following wonderful explanation:

"Esprit d'escalier (meaning: what comes up in your mind (when you leave where you've been) while you're going down the stairs--what you should've said, I have those alot, I try not to take elevators, walking up and down is good for you, but I'm getting off track here, oh, well)."

So, what was my esprit d'escalier as I walked up and down the stairs between dance pieces at Movement Research's 24 x 4 x 4 show last night?

After Piece #1 (do these things even have titles? can I get a list of the hastily-read-off names of participating choreographers, please?): "I thought maybe the tunnel would go on forever." Security guards in sunglasses in the car was the best part. Or maybe the mimicking of those iPod silhouette poster boys and girls. A video of dance that largely happens inside a car. Talk about creative constraints!

After Piece #2: Serial beer-swilling by the Frigidaire light, killer voiceover, and that image of a figurine of a flower-bedecked cow projected just beneath Judson's rose window? My winner. Let's see this again!

After Piece #3: Hmmm... Maybe not. After standing outside the gym's closed door and watching strobe lighting flash through the cracks while all sorts of banging and strange vocal sounds leaked out, and then watching the door open part way, harsh light crashing over the people closest to it, I wanted something more earth-shaking to be going on inside.

After Piece #4: Prop- and sound-driven. Requires some assembly. Best visual/sonic element: cylinders made of rolled-up sheets of aluminum foil walked across a couple of taut strings spanning the space. Best thing here: Everybody's very musician-like, task-focused cool.

If you were teamed up with three other artists (chosen at random) and given 24-hours to concoct a performance, what might you do? Does that sound scary? Does it sound kicky? Does it sound like something that should happen more often?