Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Faye Driscoll’s captivating WEATHERING is an astonishing display of sustained tension and precariousness

• By drediman
• April 13, 2023
• No Comments

Last night at New York Live Arts, I attended Faye Driscoll’s captivating and altogether sensational new work Weathering. In essence, the piece — the capstone of Driscoll’s two-year residency at the Chelsea-based dance incubator — is a hybrid performance piece that functions as a sort of microcosm of humanity as it careens through time and space into the unknown.

In short, I was thoroughly captivated by Weathering, which exists at the intersection of dance, performance art, and art installation. Performed by an ensemble cast of ten on what can be best described as a large mobile/rotating bed (or is it a raft?), the piece commences at a glacial pace, resulting in a slowly morphing progression of sculptural tableaus. Enjoy the striking, clearly discernible images while you can. Almost imperceptibly, the movement picks up steam, eventually reaching an exhilarating critical velocity that has the performers — and the audience — holding on for dear life. In this astonishing work, Driscoll has put together an immersive display of sustained tension and daring precariousness.

The work is an all-hands-on-deck effort — kudos not only to the dancers, but also to the stagehands and some surprise guests from the audience (including Driscoll herself) — of the most sublime kind, one that resembles a chaotic yet controlled symphony. In summary, Weathering is visionary, fearless work. The dance’s current run concludes this weekend. If you can snag a ticket, go.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WEATHERING
Dance
New York Live Arts
1 hour, 10 minutes (without an intermission)
Through April 15