Just a few observations this week as my wife and I are visiting England, seeing friends and enjoying as much art as we can. I want to talk briefly about three performances that have taken our breath away: All's Well That Ends Well at Shakespeare’s Globe, Akram Khan at Snape Maltings, and the Royal Wedding in London.
Watching these artistic creations reminded me of the interdisciplinary nature of art. We stood as groundlings for All's Well and were treated to an intimacy that is the hallmark of the Globe. Here the actors connect with the audience in the acting, dancing, and singing, welcoming the viewers into the action before beginning. All of this in a magnificent architectural recreation.
Akram Khan combines east and west music, classical and contemporary dance, and mythology in a performance that defies the limits of the human body. I was moved as Akram spoke with the audience about spiritual values through art in a growingly “me” centred world (e.g. IPod, IPad, IMac).
You either loved the Royal Wedding or you didn’t bother. We joined 150,000 people in Hyde Park to watch the proceedings on giant screens. Imagine us all singing "Jerusalem"with one voice! As a piece of art it was impressive. The choral beauty, sense of history, and the fashion exuberance, were all choreographed to perfection.
Each of these pieces succeeded because they celebrated different arts and technologies equally, in a whole more splendid that merely a sum of parts.
In education, much is made of “performance-based assessment.” Don’t let us forget the basic interdisciplinary elements great performances need to move us.
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