Forthcoming Performance Review

I saw an amazing show this past weekend. Chicagoans - if you’re into multi-media cutting-edge dance performances, you need to see This is a DAMAGE MANUAL at Theater Wit (by Belmont and Sheffield).

A quick synopsis: Produced and performed by Atalee Judy and the BONEdanse danseurs, This is a DAMAGE MANUAL is a potent mix of anxiety, punk rock, prescriptive ’50s psychology mumbo-jumbo and bad dreams, exploring the cyclical process of what it is to be “damaged” - and alive in spite of (or because of) it.

How I ended up seeing this show is kind of an interesting story. A couple years ago, I PA’d an indie here in Chicago (same PA gig I wrote about in my previous advice post). I spent most of those 3 days trying not to get in the way of the steadicam operator, Carl. Now, a couple years later, I reunite with him out of nowhere at my grrl Chrissy’s birthday party at the MusicBox, seeing a midnight showing of Wayne’s World (Chicago really is a tight-knit town for creatives). I also met his girlfriend/creative partner, Chrissy’s close friend Atalee. Of course I knew about Atalee, due to her being an innovative and intense local dancemaker/choreographer, so it was really cool to meet her. She invited me to see her dance show, This is a DAMAGE MANUAL, and Chrissy got me comped for opening night because I was so excited to go. Opening night was this past Friday and I can say (with great self-awareness) that I made a fool of myself begging Carl to use me for whatever he might need in future BONEdanse productions - second camera, camera assistant, carrying his equipment… anything.

And then I went to my boyfriend’s apartment and cried. I was so overwhelmed and moved by the show that I fell into a self-analytical spiral of how I call myself an “artist” and “filmmaker” but don’t really live up to it at all. And This is a DAMAGE MANUAL not only forced me to confront my own lack of productivity - I also realized a lot about myself from the themes of the show: anxiety, identity, stagnancy, being overwhelmed, feeling strapped down, and reeling from constantly stimuli that only do harm.

So I’m gonna write a review on it. I won’t be able to write anything else, anyway.

What have you seen or heard recently - be it movie, performance, concert, album, exhibit, etc. - that deeply moved you? What feelings came with it? Did it motivate you to do something, or did it aid in self-reflection?