Prayer
Choreography by Fredrick Peterson
Prayer was a solo dance performance set to a rendition of Amazing Grace. The movement in this piece existed wholly on the vertical plane. The dancer's feet never left the ground.
Because of the restricted nature of the movement, there was an inherent problem with the performer getting lost on the stage. Vast stretches of darkness can quickly overwhelm an individual. A single pool of light provided a single shadow on the floor. The dancer was then lit with low sidelights which slowly increased in intensity during the course of the piece. The effect was of a stained glass window come to life in prayer.
As the music crescendos, and the prayer reaches completion, the lighting is brilliantly strong. Yet, because it was built up so slowly, it feels like the same picture transformed.