Clarissa [Sometimes] Explains It All

On November 23, I attended Soul Leaves Her Body, an integrated-media performance combining theater, dance, live video, music, and film. Inspired by a 13th century Chinese story about a woman who rips her soul from her body in order to pursue her destiny in the city, the show explored the soul-body relationship in life, love, and family. I really enjoyed watching the performance, for the minimalistic set and technology that was incorporated into the performance. Although the actors were not adorned with elaborate costumes, the footage on the screens showed that they were evoking Chinese people from 13th century China.

The most impressive part was the live recording to show movement, for an actor would walk or run in place, and the live camera would project the scene and gave the illusion that the person moved great lengths, when that did not happen at all. The second act was in film form, depicting a siblings’ struggle to survive in the city after their mother died and did not leave an inheritance. The third act is a dialogue between two women, one fairly young, the other, elderly reminiscing about falling in love with a foreigner, which proved to be a societal conflict. The show is hard to explain, but I enjoyed watching the innovative and abstract performance.

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