Performances
Status: In development
Target: Late May / Early June 2026
Location: Buffalo, NY
Bridging Acts: A Dialogue Between Motion and Media
A one-day interdisciplinary performance directed by Léwuga Tata Benson that explores the tension and harmony between the human body and digital mediation through a two-part structure: live performance (Act I) and a rapid, edited “afterlife” (Act II).
Director / Curator: Léwuga Tata Benson
Performer: Alexandra Light (Ballerina)
Media Artist: Clayton Colin
Funding: NYSCA
Bridging Acts is an extension of my interdisciplinary practice—sound, projection, and immersive staging—shifted into performance:
the body becomes the central “artifact,” and mediation becomes visible in real time. The work foregrounds presence vs. translation:
what happens when motion is captured, framed, and transformed into an image with its own agency.
This page is designed as a living container. As dates, rehearsals, and venues are confirmed, I will update these sections.
The work is built as a two-act system:
- Act I: Live choreography unfolds alongside real-time filming, making the act of watching (and being watched) part of the event.
- Intermission: The media artist rapidly edits captured footage into a re-interpretation, not a literal replay.
- Act II: The edited video is presented as projection—an “afterlife” of the body rendered through light, memory, and mediation.
The staging emphasizes surveillance, authorship, and vulnerability:
Act I Setup
A clapperboard introduces “Take One,” the stage drops to darkness, and a single bench anchors the action.
Breath and physical exertion are subtly amplified through discreet mics, collapsing distance between performer and audience.
Camera as Antagonist
The media artist films in close proximity, shaping power through framing. The asymmetry is intentional:
the performer is mediated; the filming body stays largely unexamined.
Alexandra Light
Principal dancer and choreographer with a research-based practice and commissions/residencies. Her work supports a movement language that can hold intimacy, endurance, and narrative ambiguity.Clayton Colin
Video editor/animator with extensive post-production experience (Premiere, After Effects, Blender), supporting the core premise: rapid transformation of live footage into a mediated “echo.”- Rehearsals: January–May 2026 (rolling schedule; studio/venue dependent)
- Artist Talk: May 2026 (target window)
- One-day performance + reception: Late May / Early June 2026
When the venue is confirmed, I will replace “windows” with exact dates + add RSVP/ticket links.
Current venue shortlist:
- Shea’s 710 Theatre — ideal for intimate, high-contrast staging and audience implication.
- UB Center for the Arts (Black Box) — flexible configuration for a half-arena / in-the-round feel.
The project includes documentation that reinforces the theme of mediated visibility:
event photography + video capture (including audience reaction), and an edited output that becomes
part of the project’s archive and future touring/presentations.
Funded by: New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).
Other supporting partners and acknowledgements will be updated here.