At Sea
Today, through the wonders of digital video technology, we received an invitation to a special command performance of the internationally acclaimed “Southern Sea Lion Underwater Ballet of the Falkland Islands”! On entering the theatre we found the curtain already up, revealing a dramatic setting for the performance to come. Tremendous columns of giant kelp towered above the stage floor, their blades moving sinuously in the gentle surge as they stretched toward the light. Between their tree-like trunks the stage was strewn with dark boulders and highlighted here and there with bright pink coralline algae, inviting the eye to explore the myriad of shadowy nooks and crevices where mysterious motions could be glimpsed. The lighting designer had provided another tour-de-force of the theatrical arts, bathing the scene in a pearly blue-green luminescence fading ever so gently from brilliance above to the dim recesses among the boulders.
Suddenly the first performer burst upon the scene! Today’s piece was a pas-de-deux, with the female dancer appearing first for a solo movement, shyly peering from behind the buttresses of kelp, venturing briefly onto the open stage for a momentary flourish and then coyly retreating to the shelter of the wings. Gradually her movements became bolder and more confident as she ranged fully across the wide stage, dashing from one spectacular pirouette to another, breaking into a graceful slowly opening pose and then off again, chasing circles around the kelp trees. Following her, our eyes were led one by one to the hidden treasures she guarded, golden sea stars, ruby anemones, and lacquered shells, were they scattered carelessly among the rocks or set in place with the infinite care of a jeweler?
Across, away and across again she went, looping and twisting, taking full advantage of her strength and agility to explore all the possibilities within the three dimensions of the performance space. Then, into a sudden hush, her partner made his appearance, instantly changing the mood from one of grace and speed to pure power, slow and brooding. Coming immediately to center stage, he gazed directly into the audience, as if to ask if there were any who might challenge his utter dominance of the scene. A careless flick of his flippers and a toss of his shaggy head seemed to ask us to decide his nature. Was he Loki the trickster, playful and dangerous, or Odin the father god, aloof and disdainful unless we mortals should linger too long in his enchanted realm? Deigning then only to show us his back, he made his slow exit while his lithe and beautiful partner spun through a final turn and with a quick bow, followed him.
Thunderous applause brought the scene to its conclusion.
Today, through the wonders of digital video technology, we received an invitation to a special command performance of the internationally acclaimed “Southern Sea Lion Underwater Ballet of the Falkland Islands”! On entering the theatre we found the curtain already up, revealing a dramatic setting for the performance to come. Tremendous columns of giant kelp towered above the stage floor, their blades moving sinuously in the gentle surge as they stretched toward the light. Between their tree-like trunks the stage was strewn with dark boulders and highlighted here and there with bright pink coralline algae, inviting the eye to explore the myriad of shadowy nooks and crevices where mysterious motions could be glimpsed. The lighting designer had provided another tour-de-force of the theatrical arts, bathing the scene in a pearly blue-green luminescence fading ever so gently from brilliance above to the dim recesses among the boulders.
Suddenly the first performer burst upon the scene! Today’s piece was a pas-de-deux, with the female dancer appearing first for a solo movement, shyly peering from behind the buttresses of kelp, venturing briefly onto the open stage for a momentary flourish and then coyly retreating to the shelter of the wings. Gradually her movements became bolder and more confident as she ranged fully across the wide stage, dashing from one spectacular pirouette to another, breaking into a graceful slowly opening pose and then off again, chasing circles around the kelp trees. Following her, our eyes were led one by one to the hidden treasures she guarded, golden sea stars, ruby anemones, and lacquered shells, were they scattered carelessly among the rocks or set in place with the infinite care of a jeweler?
Across, away and across again she went, looping and twisting, taking full advantage of her strength and agility to explore all the possibilities within the three dimensions of the performance space. Then, into a sudden hush, her partner made his appearance, instantly changing the mood from one of grace and speed to pure power, slow and brooding. Coming immediately to center stage, he gazed directly into the audience, as if to ask if there were any who might challenge his utter dominance of the scene. A careless flick of his flippers and a toss of his shaggy head seemed to ask us to decide his nature. Was he Loki the trickster, playful and dangerous, or Odin the father god, aloof and disdainful unless we mortals should linger too long in his enchanted realm? Deigning then only to show us his back, he made his slow exit while his lithe and beautiful partner spun through a final turn and with a quick bow, followed him.
Thunderous applause brought the scene to its conclusion.
