If you happened across Strathcona Park without headphones last week, you might have seen four graceful figures in red moving in front of a captivated group of onlookers. Actually, the dance-theatre experience Skin Songs was a performance made whole through on-site Wi-Fi and Zoom.
Dancers Jessica Ruano, Eleanor Crowder, and Jacqui Du Toit perform Skin Songs by TACTICS. Photo: Christopher Rohde.
With this virtual accompaniment, the formative tales of four dancers were animated to life as they moved through and climbed Ottawa trees. For example, one woman described her childhood desire to play in a way that was typically reserved for boys while leaping onto a horizontally-leaning tree.
The 50-minute show asked, “What’s written in your skin?” While answers from the dancers varied, from experiencing the male gaze for the first time to becoming a solo parent, most touched on the process of forming a female identity.
The show, by Theatre Artists’ Co-operative: The Independent Collective Series (TACTICS), was the creation of Eleanor Crowder, Jacqui Du Toit, Jessica Ruano, Lola Ryan, and Angela Schleihauf, directed by Kate Smith. Stage manager Katie Webb and costume designer Sarah Waghoen skilfully extended the costume and stage design beyond the bounds of a single setting. The bold red that made up the dancers’ apparel coordinated with the red fabric draped on Strathcona landmarks and mats where the stories unfolded.
Dancer Jessica Ruano performs during Skin Songs by TACTICS. Photo: Christopher Rohde.
“Being a woman is amazing—but it’s also like we’ve been through a lot,” said one woman via the digital audio.
“Try looking in the mirror and seeing yourself at the same time—try,” said another.
The interchanging narratives often read like poetry. Backing all of that, the score’s plucking strings struck eerie and were filled with ballooning tension. For me, that tension spoke to the oscillating opposites of womanhood expressed in Skin Songs: weakness and strength. For instance, the former was confined by labels and the latter was transcending birth contractions. Skin Songs was a powerful, incredibly unique, and full-bodied multimedia experience.
Skin Songs performances have ended, but you can listen to the soundscore for the show here for a limited time. More shows from TACTICS can be viewed online.
.gif)
