I thoroughly enjoyed reading your field experience reports on the Çudamani performance. The strongest reports were those that identified very specific aspects of a keyword we’ve studied (or haven’t studied, but is in the KMS text) in the performance and explained how that aspect of the keyword increased appreciation for the performance in some way. All of your did this to an extent; the best of responses did it clearly and thoroughly, often with specific references to our texts.
My goal in assigning the performance was to ask you to apply keywords to a non-mediated live performance (rather than a video or a media artifact). Our keywords offer critical approaches to media, of course, but they can also be used to provide critical approaches to lived experiences and live performances like this one. Several of you touched on this realization, perhaps without fully grasping its significance. There are particular aspects of a live performance that aren’t present in a mediated performance. One notable difference is the reality of an audience. When we consume media, we do it differently than a live performance. (I’m aware that feature films are an exception.) One key difference is that the experience of attending a performance is also a performance; as an audience member, we follow specific performative conventions. We clap when a performance is complete. We “ooh” and “aah” at spectacular moments. We might glance at each other to see if others are mesmerized by a specific moment or aspects of the performance. The identity of ourselves as audience is an aspect of identity that a few of you picked up on; the performance made it a little easier to recognize by encouraging audience participation during the final number.
I selected this performance because I wanted it to be as unconventional as possible. Doing so helps us recognize the expectations we have for performances, and such unconventional shows help subvert those expectations toward wonder and appreciation for something new and different. If we could have engaged Tibetan throat singers or Japanese Noh theatre, the impact would have been similar; if we’d engaged a European classical music performance, the impact would not have been the same. By shifting us out of our traditional performance expectations, I believe we’re better able to see the world of performance through critical lenses like identity and culture and gender.
Thanks for paying careful attention during the performances and doing research (in many cases) to include the titles of numbers and names of instruments. And kudos to those who embedded visuals in their responses. In most cases, these visuals enhanced the content of the post.