The Predator Songstress was a performance of contrasts. The Songstress, a woman of a 1000 facial expressions, portrayed a depth of feeling and the life in her eyes told of a story of loss.  The intensity of the acting and beauty of the dance and music, evoked in me emotions of desperation.  Terror and hopelessness, playful joy and courage, reaching for hope only to have it pulled away and the feeling of being squashed all collided in my heart.  Contrasts of beauty and shadow, light and dark park places of the undying spirit of a young girl tortured by loss.

white cages surround
and separate forces bound
to polar causes

women's mouths bound, words 
ground up in tiny jars wrapped
with shiny blue bows

blue and white ladies
vomit up words unsaid; the
harvesters reaping

beautiful white dress
songstress of colored doors says
singing sets you free!

escape from hell, now
you free many voices and 
become golden force! 

Skylar and Ben went to Whole Foods on their way to the performance to get raspberries and a salad respectively. Skylar also needed coffee, and Ben discovered there was a large area dedicated to eating and drinking beers on tap and such. He couldn't believe people would want to eat dinner at a grocery store. 

Watching Predator Songstress last night was a reminder that every movement is a movement against society. I expected to see the push and pull between people and the controlling power, as Joshua Kohl said “re-appropriating the tools of totalitarianism for personal liberation,” set in a dystopian fairy tale. While you can clearly see the work in the framework of a totalitarian society, keep in mind we live in a “democratic” society, the songstresses’ experience is just another Tuesday night for me.

Before sitting down for a drink in the lobby, the only thing I knew about Jarvi Kononen was that he had never been to an On the Boards performance. As part of the OtB Ambassadors Program, I am taking my role as the liaison to a foreign country literally and am using my +1's to bring strangers to On the Boards for the very first time. Like the older cousin who passes you that first joint, I'm interested in exposing people to something that might not be their cup of tea, but just might end up changing the way they look at the world.