I hope you are all enjoying your weeks thus far, and we here at GLASS have a suggestion for how you could de-stress and have fun this weekend before Finals Week begins!
This past Friday, upon the recommendation of fellow active GLASS member Haven Kaplan, Joshua Altamirano (GLASS President), Eden Goring (GLASS Treasurer), Zaris Mota (GLASS member) and I (GLASS Co-Creative Director) attended the off-Broadway show iLuminate.
iLuminate performs unique dance shows in New York New World theaters and has appeared in various talk shows, award shows, and concerts. According to the group,"iLuminate isn’t just a dance show. We’re a company based on the fusion of technology and dance. We aim to create a visual display unlike anything you’ve ever seen, using dancers in electrified glow-in-the-dark suits to perform choreographed dances and illusions on a darkened stage. It’s an experience that’s completely unique to our brand and incomparable to any other dance show." Each show is an hour long and is a treat and experience for all ages.
iLuminate impressively mixes dance with stunning neon visuals to explore a profound meaning between expression, love, and power. In an abstract and contemporary manner, the show aims to enlighten the audience on human individualism through the journey of the Artist—the show’s protagonist.
The Artist himself embodies the idea of holding true to self-expression and individualism. Ostracized for his inability to dance, in a world where everyone dances like Mikhail Baryshnikov, he isolates himself into his own world created by the magic of his paintbrush. The paintbrush, as a matter of fact, remains pivotal to the idea of individualism—for it symbolizes power. This capability creates the dynamic between innocence and corruption. Our ballet-dancing Artist represents innocence in character, while the street-dancing antagonist represents human corruption. These attributes are carried through in the fight for the love interest of both characters. The interest is pulled to the purity of the Artist, but moved by the nature of the antagonist.
This pull towards purity develops the idea of flow versus nature. Where the protagonist builds a world for him to feel accepted in the flow of the environment around him, the antagonist forces his individualism, love, and his environment to work for him—an act that was only met with failure. The feud between the characters and these themes develop into more intricate meanings, again exploring personality, expression, and power.
This aim was undeniably reached. As the show built a connection with the audience, everyone watched captivated. From actors jumping out of the audience, dancing through aisles, to neon serpents’ lunging out into the crowd, all in an environment that not only allowed, but also encouraged, applause—even though there was no dialogue the level of interaction was remarkable. We easily found ourselves immersed in the story, following the interesting yet ingenuous plot. All the energy and charisma, served to engage instead of distract, an admirable quality in an off-Broadway feature. The lights, the music, the entire production was unique to itself, something that transcended the environment leaking into theme of the show itself. This show, even through its environment, values the importance of self-expression.
iLuminate’s classic plot of power, corruption, identity and acceptance makes it a universal show; that, paired with the group's commitment to interaction, attracts an unprecedentedly diverse audience. The spectators encompassed families,couples, and friends of of all ages, and we would recommend everyone check it out.
So bearcats, don't miss your chance to experience the fun and grab your tickets before the lights go out on January 18th!!
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