Combodian magic flute and Met visit!
Going into the Cambodian dance piece “The Majic Flute,” I was not sure what to expect. I read the handout that Professor Orenstein gave us, but I really had no idea how the piece could translate into Cambodia’s cultural dance. I tried to go in with an open mind and even though I did I ended up more confused than ever.
The piece was very interesting to watch. Visually, it was stunning and at times I really felt as though I was watching a moving painting. There are so many images from Cambodia’s culture that I am very familiar with, but I never connected with Cambodia until I saw them actually performed. There are so many statues and images that I have associated with Asia’s culture that I never knew came from Cambodia. One of those images involves a woman lifting up her leg in the back and flexing her foot unnaturally. It’s an image that I have always seen and known about and now finally I know it comes from Cambodia.
There were bursts of interest throughout the piece that didn’t last long. I wanted to be interested, but I just didn’t understand what was going on really. I tried reading the texts written periodically above the action, but they were so fuzzy that I could barely read the first word. Having read about the story of the magic flute, I thought I would be able to follow their movements using that knowledge, but I really wasn’t able to. I sat there wondering what these images meant in terms of the story. While I thought it looked beautiful at times, I don’t think the overall piece was successful. I feel somwhat bad for saying that, since I was really hoping it would be great, but I just didn’t understand it at all. I admire what the performers and everyone involved in the process are trying to do, with keeping the culture of Cambodia alive and thriving by bringing it to people in a more modern and accessible way, I just don’t think it worked particularly well in this instance.
With regard to Zhang Huan, I think the two groups have somewhat common goals, keeping their cultures alive, but I think Zhang Huan has been much more successful in his attempts. He creates pieces that may not be as common as other people’s works, but are pieces that bring to light cultural topics that influence everyday life. The one differene between their goals are that Zhang Juan tries to examine his culture while Sophiline Shapiro really wants to keep it alive. They both want to use their cultures, but they govern themselves in different ways.
Nadine Orenstein and Sophiline Shapiro have very similar goals. They are both interested in preserving history and making sure as many people see this history as possible. They both want people to appreciate what their respective interests deal with and they want to bring their works through to the youth, since it is the youth that will carry on the traditions and with work on preserving the art pieces that have made the world’s history interesting.