burst: a romp and a whoopee

burst
is, in karen penley's own words, a "traveling circus of art, making basic principles of art fun and accessible, broadening the vision of young audiences.here's the website. i went to her first "burst" performance on friday, to be at the helm of the video camera, and it was just wonderful. she incorporates dance, music, lavish costumes and props, and the brilliant animation of sean jones to enhance "burst's" antics and surprises. as you can see, i was fascinated with how the shadows interacted with the animation itself, introducing a third element, a mezzanine. the kids, there were about two hundred of them, went berserk with delight. after the show, one girl crept up shyly to ask for karen's autograph. what karen is doing is unique, bringing the unabashed power of play in learning to an environment that, in my opinion, could really use a little fluffing up.

for this is how the school principal, standing very rigid, introduced the show to the children:

"well, this is kind of an artistic thing, and i hope you like it, but be a good audience."