PW Presents: Interbeing

Upon entering the backdoor of T.F. Green on Thursday night, I was handed a playbill and note from Anh Vo ‘18, the choreographer of Interbeing.  It included an Urban Dictionary definition of the term “interbeing”, a complex Bhuddist philosophical concept which posits that our personal “being” can be better understood through our dependence on other people and the world around us. Vo then immediately criticized himself for his choice of source and went on to make rather unsure statements about what the show may or may not present you with.This sense of confusion, as well as the contradiction between the proposed concept of interconnected, holistically understood meaning and what sometimes seems like senseless mayhem, would be the foundational theme of the performance. In this direct address to the audience, Vo also starts the dialogue in which he blurs the line between observer and performer, making the two more interdependent than usual.The two-part installation starts in the Upspace with a “body-installation” that audience members are asked to observe for as long as they wish, before grabbing their own chairs from a disheveled pile and continuing downstairs. The installation is mostly stationary but chaotic, a metamorphosing tableu-vivant submerged in either intense silence or energized dance music. The discontinuity between what is being seen and heard could not be more jarring.Though the Downspace has an entirely different presentation, the same immersion of the audience, as well as the concepts of “emptiness, queerness, plasticity, and ephemerality” that Vo says he and set designer Sam Keamy-Minor ’17 tried to play with, is evident.  Pastel colors and flimsy plastic coat the performers and the space, which weaves through the audience, inhibiting any one observer from fully perceiving the entire stage.Meanwhile, Vo’s choreography is expansive and overwhelming, and can transition from high-intensity, rhythmic, evocative swirling scenes to slow, lulling, ensemble movements all in a single focal shift.  These movements, many of which Vo says are appropriated from various cultures, are accompanied by additional physical or sonic media including but not limited to singing, screaming, poetry, and bubbles. These effects can seem arbitrary, but to an intentional effect, as Vo attempts to “escape the logical dissection of what each moment is about.” The performers (Vo is also one of them) also continue to address the audience directly and informally, asking them to close their eyes, breathe deeply, or contemplate their own role in the act they are observing.  It is difficult to not be seduced by the proposed connectivity of everyone in the room, yet feel as though everything you are watching makes absolutely no sense.  In garnering the audience’s involvement in the performance, Vo is undeniably successful.Interbeing isn’t easy to watch, and it isn’t meant to be. I don’t think it will change your mind about the performing arts if you already aren’t a fan.  However, if you enjoy bombardments of stimulation, and are okay with answering your own questions with more questions (we are in college, after all), then Interbeing will be a worthwhile ninety minutes of entertainment for you to discuss with your friends this weekend.Interbeing may contain sexual content, explicit language, partial nudity and strobe lights. Show times are at PW at 8p.m. on December 2^nd, 3^rd and 5^th, and at 2p.m. on December 4^th. Tickets are free and are available at the door an hour before the performance. Please use the side door right off the parking lot shared with Orwig. Images via Matthew Steinberg '19.