On July 22, 2023, I had the pleasure of watching the community come together and showcase a wonderful collection of pieces. True to the show's title name, Playground, I could see the choreographers and dancers playing with their ideas for this project. From the rainbow cloud that transformed to the fabric flowing river, to the dramatic operatic piece, I was kept engaged and excited to see what else these artists had to give the audience.
As stated before the show started, Playground was designed with the intention to start and finish the artistic process in a week. On top of that, choreographers were inclined to choose dancers they haven’t worked with before. While watching the performance, I wouldn’t have guessed some of these folks met for the first time during this process. The amount of trust these dancers have in the process is clear. The performers were free to commit to the dances, while feeling secure that their group has each other. This is truly highlighted for me in Tori Meyer’s piece, Ode to Kenneth. While setting the mood for this piece, the dancers had this “too cool for school” attitude while trying to play a recorder with three people. It was silly and wonderful. Doing silly things on stage can be stressful if you’re not comfortable; however, the attitude and commitment of these dancers had made this piece so much fun to watch.
Photo by Florian Alberge.
Fun – that is the biggest take away I can say about watching this collection as a whole. Exciting moments like those in Tyler Schnese’s piece, Venus in Pink, and Rebekah Guerra’s piece, que vas-tu faire?, kept my senses alive. I thought, “Wow, this is exciting! I need to know what happens next.” While softer, magical moments appeared as well - like how much the tearing of the paper screen added visually and audibly in Lehua Estrada’s piece, O-Six. The show made me excited to see what else these artists can give to our community and inspired me for my own creative projects.
To continue supporting more shows like this, please continue to watch these artists. The creative team of Playground made it easy to access the performer’s and choreographer’s information on their instagram, @playground_danceproject. This is where you can take a deeper dive into the community and support the contribution they give in our Small Lake City.
Edison Corvera (they/them) is currently a queer Filipinx performer living around the SLC area. They attended Southern Utah University and studied theater arts and dance performance. Since moving to the Salt Lake area, Edison has worked with Myriad Dance, Ogden Movement Collective, and SONDERimmersive. Whatever artistry they find, Edison hopes to continue to find ways to implement their art with the community around them.