“The question is of course the answer and the form in which the answer exists. ”

When I first heard that I thought it was the strangest thing ever. But it does make sense after discussing it.

The whole performance was puzzling.

The whole time I was hysterically laughing (silently of course). Perhaps it was the confusion that made it so funny.

Initially, I could not help but wonder: what, about that whole performance, could make anyone do anything but laugh?? Why was it only the students giggling? Did we miss something important? Were we just too tired to understand?

I think we did. I do not think this was a suitable performance for us at all. We were tired, confused and only slightly amused.

From the beginning, I expected people to dance, ACTUALLY dance.

What we endured was nothing of the sort. The introduction was so long, and the monotone voice of Lemmon made me tune him out. I know he was trying to be deep, and perhaps he was saying meaningful words, but it just did not sink in.

And so, I waited patiently for the long and strange introduction to end and the dance to begin. At that point I knew better than to expect a traditional dance.

However, as time passed, I began to get even more confused. Why was there crying?

What was the point to the scene with the walrus (which apparently was there, but all I saw from my far away seat was a blob)? Why was Lemmon twirling a sock?

Most importantly I wondered why people were leaving, and why everyone was not as amused as I was. What was I missing?

This bothered me so much that when I thought about it, I actually stopped my quiet laughter. I stared puzzled at the stage before me.
What was Lemmon trying to say and why are we not able to understand it? I scanned the booklet in the subway, searching for clues to the meaning I had missed.

I found just what I had expected: Nothing! In frustration, I waited five days until I would get any sort of explanation.

After the class discussion with Dr. Katherine Profeta I was able to see a whole new side of the production. Instead of viewing it as a funny piece without any specific direction, we were able to find a unifying theme for the piece. There was so much to discuss: there was meaning and symbolism behind everything!

Now that I have more knowledge of the piece I kind of feel guilty for laughing. The piece is about not only the loss of people close to Lemmon, but it is about the universality of loss, love and time. Like the planet Solaris from the sci-fi movie, the piece brings out the innermost thoughts in Lemmon’s mind. Perhaps this is why it was so abstract: thoughts are rarely as simple as a structured dance can convey. For this reason, the unique choreography and the breakdown of the bodies were appropriate to the complex meaning of the piece.

Nevertheless Dr. Profeta emphasized that the true meaning of the piece is only equally as important as our reaction to it. For me, this piece was an emotional catharsis. I have not laughed that much in so long, and this piece left me feeling refreshed and energetic. Understanding the piece did make me respect it and Ralph Lemmon more, but it did not change how it made me feel. I think if I truly understood the piece while watching, I would have ended up crying and leaving the theater feeling much worse.