Week One, First Impressions

posted by Jennine Willett

Image courtesy of Arts World Financial Center

Since this is my first time performing in the Winter Garden, I am awed by the majestic atmosphere and vibrancy of the space. At first, it was challenge to adapt to a moving landscape filled with currents of traffic and close, sometimes too close, interaction with the audience. Rehearsing in the space on the weekends, when the space is mostly occupied by tourists and families, offered a chance to gently become comfortable with unexpected exchanges and possible collisions. The energy shifts quite a bit on the weekdays as the element of busy office personnel changes both the vibe and the pace in the garden dramatically.

At times, the audience has been a bit spellbound during the lunch time shows. Overall, I feel pretty welcome in the space. The reactions (or the complete lack thereof) to our performance have been fascinating. We seem to captivate large percentage of the public in the space, yet simultaneously there is a stream of bodies moving past us as if we don’t exist. We have even inspired a few to actually join in- this happened on Friday when 10 dancers performed a locomotive pattern that traversed the aisles between the palms.

I am excited for the second week to start tomorrow and look forward to the full evening show on Friday. It will be a great chance to set up shop, so to speak, in the garden for a full hour.

- Jennine