Headlong in Philadelphia
Posted by Brody on January 11, 2010With arts programming constantly under threat of being radically under-funded, it is always inspiring to see young, and old, artists who are willing to continue doing the work at any cost. It’s always a labor of love to make a career in art, and is often tantamount to a calling of an almost spiritual dimension. No one in their right mind considers make art, outside of film and television, to be a potentially lucrative career path, so when we meet artists with intelligence and a few years’ experience under their belts, they usually have something important to offer the culture at large.
It’s even more exciting when one discovers that the work is, indeed, splendid, according to many definitions, and to see work that speaks to a local as well as a global audience. These are some of the reasons why Philadelphia has risen up in recent years as a place to watch. Rather than scaling back and doing fewer works, and safer works, the art scene here seems to be producing lots of exciting new things. When visiting Philadelphia, cheap hotel prices make it even more attractive to stay longer, and it’s possible to really get connected to a wonderful community.
If you have the opportunity to see work by the local Headlong Dance Theatre, by all means, take it. This is an exciting group that does consistently excellent work. They were groundbreaking over 15 years ago, and they still are. Those years of accomplishments have also honed their ability to tell edgy and interesting stories that spin contemporary culture in simultaneously absurd and necessary directions. If you have the chance to see them in the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, that’s even better, because there’s hundreds of other exciting acts performing stunning new work that might make you decide visiting the city is not enough.
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