During the past 13 years of Taryn Packheiser’s career as a dancer and choreographer, the UNC School of the Arts graduate has performed just about every style of dance, from hip-hop to theatrical narrative, in venues across the nation.
Packheiser will look back on her career with a one-woman performance, “Stag Unassisted,” today through Saturday as part of the Greensboro Fringe Festival.
The performance examines the concept of going it alone, both in an emotional sense, and in the sense of choreographing, producing and performing solo.
“Each piece explores coping mechanisms and/or comedic side effects of the realization that we both come into the world and leave it as an individual,” said Packheiser of Greensboro. “This concept inspired the idea of creating a show where the performer does everything involved in a production — choreography, performance, technical work, etc.”
Upping the technical requirements, Packheiser decided to incorporate video into the production. Packheiser, who often shoots and edits the video herself, uses this visual component alongside music (which she also often manipulates to her liking) and dance to give her audience more direction, allowing them to see her vision more clearly, rather than just interpreting a performance through their own eyes.
“I like creating video work because it is much easier to direct the spectator’s eye with editing techniques,” she explains. “In two-dimensional work that is seen on a flat screen, the editor can tell the viewer where to look by zooming, panning or cutting shots together quickly.
“In live performance, this is more difficult because the audience member can pick and choose what they want to see from the wide stage arena. They can choose to send their gaze all around the space, or within a particular area of the stage. The incorporation of both the live and the recorded visual representation add more depth to the overall show.”
Also adding depth — while exhibiting her prowess as a dancer — is the range of genres Packheiser covers during the show. She performs dances from classical modern and contemporary to whimsical dances that allow her to have a little fun.
“I enjoy the contemporary and performance art pieces the best because they are the most timely, and they reflect current approaches that I am exploring,” she says. “My favorite piece is my rendition of the Beastie Boys’ song 'Shake Your Rump’ — I rap all three voices.”
Packheiser wants to speak to her audience, rather than just perform for them — giving them a sense of engagement, rather than just passively entertaining them. And with such a wide range of experiences, she hopes audiences will find something they can relate to within her performance.
“I want people to think and feel in response to what they see,” she says. “It is my hope that they take what I have prepared and create an empathy with my work in connection with their own life experiences. I hope that they will react with a sense of 'I’ve felt like that before’ or 'I understand where she’s coming from.’”
Contact Jennifer Bringle at jenniferbringle@gmail.com
