Computer Graphics World
December 2003
Karen Moltenbrey
Capacitor, a contemporary fusion dance company, blends a range of
eclectic movements from aerial dance, martial arts, world dance, and even
the circus to create complex stories that forge an equally unusual mix of
concepts from scientists, artists, and thinkers. To enhance these unique
live performances, the troupe adds a rich mixture of computer-generated
backdrops, props, and animations to give the modern art form its new-age
slant.
According to Capacitor's artistic director/performer Jodi Lomask, the group's
aim is to create live-performance pieces that explore the impact of technology
on our culture. "Productions like these are both heightening the audience's
sense of what it means to see live performance and digital images, and blurring
the line between the two," she says. "They bridge the visual magic
of film and animation with the visceral world of dance. People know how
to watch movies, but they often feel as though they don't know what to look
for when they watch dance. So the visual component of our work gives them
an 'in' to the dance and movement."
Since its inception, Capacitor has produced three such works that were born
from its Capacitor Lab creative brainstorming sessions. One of these productions,
last year's Avatars, combined live performance, digital technology, art,
and animation to illustrate the mythical journeys of six characters inside
a video game. "Video games are a place where people play out new aspects
of the self," says Lomask. "Persons can experience the kind of
power and triumph that they may feel is out of reach in the real world.
I wanted audiences to see how the fantasy world of gaming is a contemporary
expression of a natural human desire toward heroism and fulfillment of the
self."
The group's current project, Digging in the Dark, unites the concepts of
geophysicists and psychologists to create a geological-based metaphor depicting
the exploration of the human consciousness. To reinforce this concept, the
group is using a wide range of CGI created by digital artist Steve Vargas.
"During the lab sessions, people from a number of disciplines provide
an opinion as to how a given piece should play out," says Vargas. "And
everyone builds on those concepts to evolve the overall project."
continues...
