Creative Moves Performace at Elgin Fringe Festival

The program description of "Weaving Webs" is accurate, but it can't capture the depth of meaning in this standout piece created by Julie Leir-VanSickle of Creative Moves.

Julia Leir-VanSickle performs "Weaving Webs" at Elgin Fringe Festival.

The sequence of sound, imagery and solo dance lead gently but deliberately into a profound composition of connectedness, first of one body's members, then more. Powerful images of sympathetic vibrations, the self-ness of a home, and the hard work of making and retaining attachments accompany beautiful movement that makes ingenious use of materials.

One thread becomes a small web, then a larger web, then an installed web of interconnected vision and effort that draws in the audience. Our energy creates the web and powers it; it strengthens us and becomes a lifeline and a dwelling place.

"Weave with me," Leir whispers, as nearly every person joins in the group project that physically reconnects the stage to the auditorium, one gesture at a time. It brilliantly teaches, through direct participation, how all art is a community enterprise. If only the Elgin Fringe Festival could last five more days so everyone could experience this piece.

Become captivated Saturday, September 16th at 7:30pm at First United Methodist Church.

Creative Moves at Elgin Fringe Festival

Scenes of outward and inward transformation come into focus in a solo dance by Julie Leir-VanSickle of Creative Moves: Performance at the Elgin Fringe Festival.

Projected images of circular movements and coiled snakes were the backdrop to a piece entitled "Shedding Skin." The dancer used her own circular motion as a metaphor for a change process, and developed a clear narrative beginning with the concept of skin: is it restrictive or merely protective?

Julie Leir-VanSickle performs "Shedding Skin" at the 2016 Elgin Fringe Festival.

As the performance shifts from pure movement into theatre, the dancer employs costume as an instrument by peeling layers first from hands, then arms, then neck and legs. The body revealed beneath is unsteady at first but it strengthens.

Signaled by outstretched limbs and freer breathing, the shedding process is finished when the protagonist literally dances out of her costume. But there is still more work to be done.

"Shedding Skin" is a thoughtful and technically ingenious meditation whose language is clear and poetic, and execution is simultaneously elegant and visceral.  You can see for yourself what becomes of shed skin — and the memory of it — at repeat performances Saturday, Sept. 17th at 3pm and Sunday, Sept. 18th at noon at Next Door Theater.  Visit www.elginfringefestival.com for info.