Audience Review

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a performance by Elke Rindfleisch at Mount Tremper Arts and it was a very different experience for me. Over the past few years I’ve seen several movement performances and they have always surprised me. Some left me a bit cold and some I enjoyed very much. Last night’s performance was one of the latter.

I couldn’t help thinking that I have had very little exposure to dance and movement in my lifetime, so consequently it is very new art form for me. Like many of us who have grown up in this culture, we are exposed to a variety of art forms; painting, sculpture, music, photography etc. but movement seems to be the one form that we don’t experience much of. So to see last night’s performance was new, intriguing and I’d have to say refreshing.

Rindfleisch at Mount Tremper Arts

The performance seemed to have everything. It was very sensual and soft, and then it would change to become disturbing and often cathartic. As it progressed I found myself being more and more drawn into it and becoming part of the movement (which I think was the artist’s intent).

When Rindfleisch removed her costume and danced nude, I was at first just mesmerized (as any red-blooded heterosexual American male would be) by this beautiful naked woman dancing before my eyes. But as she continued I found myself studying the subtle movement of her muscles and flesh as she danced. It was like sculpture in motion. For me, the performance was a great success.

Joel Benton is a carpenter, photographer and lover of the arts, and is also a devoted practitioner of Zen Buddhism. He lives in Mount Tremper, NY in the beloved Catskill Mountains.