Gravity and The Wall

Walking on a wall. Is that possible? I wouldn’t have thought so. Yet, I am walking on a wall. Gravity--why is gravity so difficult? It works against what we are trying to do, pulling our heads down and making us lightheaded. All of the spectators are in awe. I wonder if what I’m doing is illegal. Do they have laws against wall walking? I doubt it. There is fear in the room. The tension is mounting because someone could fall. But we are skilled dancers, balanced and without fear. This contrast of feeling is incredible. Is this what Trisha Brown wanted? I’m not sure. She did not give us instruction. “Walk on the wall,” Trisha said. We collide into one another because the cords from the harness get in the way. These cords feel like imprisonment and I want to be free. Gravity! What an evil piece of nature! I am reminded of the first time I experienced Trisha’s work. A single man simply walked down a wall. The task was daunting. I always wondered why she chose that building. Maybe all of the dark shutters and cold, steel railings of the fire escapes gave dimension, a dimension of reality versus the unreal. Perhaps that is what she wants the audience to experience today. I am at a corner and my feet no longer touch the cold, bare walls. For an instant, I am flying and it is exhilarating. Then gravity hits. My feet lightly touch the wall so that I do not make noise. My trained dancer feet!  I am dressed in dark clothing. I’m sure it is meant to contrast the bright white walls. The walls are so white that they resemble freshly fallen snow, directly hit by the sun, causing a reflection. The harness is beginning to sink into my skin and it’s pinching me. Ow! I hate you gravity! I touch the tall, wooden ladder and stand upright. The blood rushes down to my feet and I am woozy. I feel the soft touch of a hand on my back to steady me. What a rush! This brilliant idea to walk on a wall is fascinating. I walked on a wall…amazing. There are six fellow dancers still walking the wall. Forward, backward and colliding; these movements are the restraints of gravity. As I watch the others, I am once again reminded of the man walking down the wall. Reality versus the unreal--the feeling has returned. What an astonishing idea! To think, I was unreal. For a few moments in time, I was unreal. As soon as I touched the ladder, I was real again. The shadows of the dancers--are they real? I am not sure. If the dancers are unreal, are their shadows real? I will never know.