The Arts in New York City
I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of “I Don’t Believe in Outer Space.” I thought it was very Fluxus, considering it didn’t have a storyline or plot and there were many random things happening at once. I like how they carried the same song throughout each part of the performance and used it in different ways. As we were saying in class, music can affect everyone differently and the lyrics of the song were portrayed differently in each scene. In the original song, you can really hear Gloria’s feelings with the musical sounds behind the lyrics she sings. With the dancers speaking the lyrics of the song without music, they were able to change the feeling and meaning of the original song. For example, when the creepy neighbor visits the woman and is told “no” after asking for a drink from the whisky cabinet and hoping to “get down,” he speaks the lyrics sarcastically, making the scene humorous. Other scenes of the performance were also funny, including the one in which the “politician” uses sexual innuendos to try and get elected. He wanted to “undress and world and share his cocktail with everyone.” His remarks kept the audience laughing and awake. For me, certain parts of the performance became boring, when the music and dancing became very slow. I enjoyed watching all the chaos onstage and trying to figure out what was going on. One of the most chaotic scenes was when the narrator kept repeating, “As if by any chance.” My favorite parts were when the individual woman spoke the dialogue of the creepy neighbor and the woman. I found it very entertaining the way she moved her body and changed her voice. The ping pong scene was also very enjoyable, because although there actually was no ping pong ball, the way the dancers moved to the sounds made you believe there was. I think the performance displays a very Dionysiac art, with randomness, chaos, and a few sexual references. I think when Nietzsche says we need more Dionysiac art, he means art like “I Don’t Believe in Outer Space.” To me, many ballet performances are boring and lack excitement, but I think “I Don’t Believe in Outer Space” breaks the boundaries of the usual ballets and gives the audience a new experience. If this is what Nietzsche meant, then I would agree that we need more art that isn’t so Apollonian, or confined, to show the real world.
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“I Don’t Believe in Outer Space” definitely shared many qualities with Fluxus art. A combination of sound, images, and movements were used in the performance. In addition, the type of movements and the way in which the story was presented often mocked other ballet performance that would be considered “high art.” There was also sporadic humor, an important feature of Fluxus art. However, I disagree that the performance was Dionysian. I do not believe that simply producing art in a chaotic manner qualifies it to be considered Dionysian. Nietzsche spoke strongly of the unifying and immersive nature of Dionysian art, which I did not witness in the performance. The purpose of the performance seemed more to entertain rather than to transform.