The only time I’ve ever been to BAM was to tour its architectural grandeur during a season of Open House New York. This was the first time I actually sat in its seats and watched a performance on stage and it was stunning. It is crazy to think that the presence of even just one person on that stage could captivate an audience of hundreds, but I think that is the magic of BAM and the magic of the Rite of Spring itself. Sitting in the theatre of BAM made me feel as though I were in a different world; as if i was actually in touch with the world. I felt disconnected from the world of social media and technology itself. I felt as if I could stay in that theatre and in the world of performances for more than a day. I wanted to feel the feeling of watching something beautiful and magical in its creation in front of me instead of going back to the world where we watch dances and performances through videos on YouTube and Instagram.
I’m not going to lie; the seats were a little crowded and at first, I was perplexed by what the seemingly nonsensical movements of the dancers meant. After a time, however, I began to feel the rhythm and the movement of the performers and the performance itself. Instead of questioning every movement, I allowed myself to just observe and told myself to draw my own conclusions at the end. I allowed myself to simply enjoy the feeling of watching a mystical ballet rather than feeling the pressure to analyze every second of it.
I think the most memorable part of this experience was watching the movements of the dancers and the performers. It amazed me that the human body could tell so much of a story with just its own movements and language. There was not a single uttered word, and yet, there was a whole narrative behind the dances. The visuals were like the pages that this story was written on, and I loved how prominently said visuals were featured, from the dark chairs to the white dresses.
This experience at BAM made me feel a sense of calmness, as if it were a slight reprieve from a world where we are so plugged into everything that is not present in front of us. At this performance, I watched art appear in front of my eyes and it wasn’t through the screen of my iPhone. It was like a “getaway” that I didn’t know I needed until I received it and I grabbed a pamphlet on my way out because I’d really like to go back to BAM sometime on my own to experience something like this again.
