Amidst Atlanta’s blustery spring rain storms and sweltering summer heat, something has been growing – a buzz-worthy production taking root at The Goat Farm – the momentous Dance Truck collaboration with choreographer Blake Beckham, entitled PLOT. Performances are July 28-31 at 7:30 p.m. each evening.
This site-specific performance integrates dance with installations of video, sound, art and scenic design to illuminate the universe of wonder within a plot of earth. “It started with a single image” says Beckham, “the truck bed filled with sod, which in my imagination was instantly transformed into both garden bed and funerary bed.”
The work broadly explores metaphors of growth, decay and passing seasons, all illuminated within visually arresting spaces at the cotton-gin-turned artist community. With the assistance of their dance truck (a vintage Scout filled with sod), Beckham and her small cast of dancers will lead the audience through The Goat Farm’s haunting and majestic property.
A collection of spoons clatter in the breeze, where pillows float and hundreds of shoes sprout plants. The stunning imagery evokes the dance between tenacity and fragility so present in nature’s forms. Beckham’s choreography articulates this range through a movement language that speaks to both the fierce labor and profound intimacy contained in life’s cycles.
PLOT is a significant piece for Beckham, who has been independently producing her work on a much smaller scale over the last decade, while solidifying her artistic voice and deepening her imprint on the Atlanta dance community. For Dance Truck, PLOT represents the company’s first evening-length production by a single choreographer. The project has drawn dozens of local artists together as collaborators, crew members and volunteers to realize the project under the leadership of Dance Truck founder and Artistic Director, Malina Rodriguez.
The Goat Farm is located at 1200 Foster Street, in West Midtown. General admission tickets cost $20 or $14 for students and artists. Because the audience size is limited to 75 per show, patrons are encouraged to buy tickets in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/183245. Relics from the production, including shoe planters and photography by Jamie Hopper, will be available for sale at the performance. The PLOT artists request that audience members arrive at 7:30 pm to get acquainted with The Goat Farm surrounds. The performance will begin shortly thereafter. Comfortable clothing and sensible shoes will make the adventure more enjoyable. For more information, visit www.bdancing.com or www.dancetruck.org. For general inquiries, email dancetruck.plot@gmail.com.
