Catherine writes:
The show went well. Very well. One of the great advantages of having Pidgoyomon performed in it’s own time spot was that we could freely arrange the seating as we wished. The seats closely encircled the performance space reinforcing the intimacy that the music demanded. The technical aspects of the show, the projections, lighting, recorded audio etc. went off without a hitch. This is quite something when you consider that this was our first fell length performance of the show and that we didn’t have time for a proper dress rehearsal, just a cue to cue. Definitely great credit and thanks to Julie Fournier for that!
A goal that Terri and I made early on in the process was that within the show structure that we create, we would allow a generous space for improvisation, for awareness of the moment, our place and sense within ourselves and most importantly together. We created and performed our music with that in mind at all times with the result that our performances and rehearsals throughout the winter. Vibrant, exciting, frightening, gratifying, moving … fun.
We got a good crowd out for our Sunday eve with about 40 people attending. A number still allowing us to maintain that important intimacy.
Speaking for myself, it is difficult to say how the show went exactly. Difficult to have an outside perspective. It was a moment. I felt sad that it was the end, satisfied that it was the end, unsure because it was the end. It feels like a dream to me now that I am writing this. During and after the performance, I remember feeling full of life, solid on the ground, that time was suspended and lived in it’s own place. Over the years, I have realised that that feeling represents to me an authentic experience, that an honest statement was made. Terri and I plan to continue with the project at the end of the winter of 2010 at the Banff Centre with some further creation and recording.
Terri adds:
Looking back on PIDGOYOMON now a month and a half later, it does seem like a dream. At the same time, the integrity of the perforamance makes it very present for me. I know that the next steps of the project will be much less appetizing than the creative flurry we were in at the Banff Centre: trying to find opportunities to perform the piece and develop it again in other places for other occasions. We’ve been busy already planning a recording of the material and are scouting out the right places to perform. Baby steps.