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Last week I saw Lulacruza performing with several performance artists. The show was fantastic.

One of the most notable aspects of the show was what I’m calling the “Visible Dancer”. It was performed by Diana Suarez-Vargas, a Bay Area dancer and multimedia artist.  

A dancer in a darkened theater. She started low, sliding around the stage mostly sitting down. Behind her the video screen was dark except for a few faint red wisps. As she moves around to the music  I can see that there is a small video screen on her chest. It is showing many flowing abstract images. As she becomes more animated, the purpose of the screen in her chest becomes clear, it is showing what is going on inside her… it’s a window into her heart. That might seem hokey until you actually see it. It’s amazing.

The screen behind her continued to show vague outlines until she begins dancing more and more animatedly. Eventually I can make out wispy outlines of a dancer on the screen. I realize that the screen is showing a kind of spiritual x-ray of the dancer before me.

The effect is profound. The dancer and the x-ray are not entirely in time with one another… as is appropriate for trying to capture such energy. Sometimes the dancer leads, sometimes the x-ray. Sometimes the image fades and I see other things. I think the x-ray isn’t capturing the dancer’s motion but her intention.

As she moves, the heart window changes. Sometimes looking like flowing silk, sometimes almost dark and empty, sometimes I can see flames through the window as if I’m looking through the open door of a furnace. This is very intense.

More about the show