I recently wrote a paper for school in which I featured a company called TERP Corps. After one night of viewing what this company does, I was a believer. The paper received huge response from my classmates and professor. So I would like to share a few snippets with you.
"It is late in the evening and I am making my way through the crowds on Canal Street. I find the building marked 392 and follow the instructions on the note on the door. Tonight’s experience will be all about following directions.
The elevator opens into a large studio space with colored handkerchiefs hanging from the ceiling. The floor is speckled with colored dots, arrows and lines. I notice the pile of shoes next to the elevator so I follow suit and leave mine in the pile as I silently chastise myself for not wearing socks that day.
As I make my way through the small crowd of smiling faces, I spot the waving arm of my friend Jen Roit. She directs me to have a seat as she continues to fiddle with wires and other electrical things that I am ignorant about.
Jen is the Project Manager for a little company called TERP Corps. The name is a shortening of the name Terpsichore, the Greek muse of dance. The TERP system allows total strangers with no dance training to perform together in what ends up looking like a completely rehearsed dance piece. Jen has invited me to experience a TERP experiment. Apparently, this is the only way to really understand what TERP Corps does. I am ready for the challenge.
Jen introduces me to Patrice Regnier, choreographer and inventor of the TERP system of movement. She shakes my hand firmly and I sense that her infectious energy seems to have no limits. I instantly like her. As the rest of the participants trickle in, Patrice and Jen walk us through what we will be experiencing. Their friendly banter instantly puts the room at ease.
Then it’s time to get to work. We are strapped up with receivers and head phones and I am suddenly excited. I don’t know what instructions are going to come through those headphones, but I know I can’t wait to hear them. We find a spot on the floor and the experiment begins.
We are all being sent different directions on how and where to move our bodies. Sometimes, we are moving fluidly in unison and other times we are creating abstract figures and lines. The vibe is one of togetherness. I am hyper-aware of the people around me and how they are moving. There are moments when I am instructed to interact with someone close to me. We move together without having any knowledge of what will come next. It is beautiful. There is no music, just a gentle voice guiding your movements. But somehow, it feels like there is music playing.
We end up back where we started and the voice has gone silent. The only sound is the slightly labored breathing of everyone in the group. Then we erupt in applause and laughter. We have just performed a choreographed piece of art without having a single rehearsal or knowing at all what we were doing.
The atmosphere is one of pure, child-like joy. Everyone in the room is all smiles. Someone calls out, “Can we do it again?” Patrice is clearly happy with the experiment. Then they prep us for another one. We fan ourselves and wipe the sweat from our necks, but no one is daunted.
As the second phase of the experiment comes to an end, I watch Patrice’s face as her eyes sweep over the crowd. With her chin thoughtfully cradled in her hand, she smiles a crooked little sideways grin of success. Then it dawns on me, it is not about the execution of the choreography. The choreography is just a tool, not the product. What Patrice and her team are trying to produce is real human connection; social networking in its most raw form.
After a couple more experiments, we take some time to chat and reflect on the experience. Some of the participants are dancers, many are not. But the movements are not so complicated that they would alienate someone with no movement experience. We begin to laugh and reminisce about the experiment as if it were a cherished childhood memory. And by the time I leave, I realize that I have made an honest connection with these people; a true human bond that suddenly seems rare in a world of technological wonders. "
"As I wave goodbye to the group, I find myself hoping I will be in this room with them again soon. I had an unknown hunger for this kind of raw interaction and now that I've had a taste, I'm definitely going back for seconds. "
For more on TERP Corps and to watch videos of the experiements, visit their website:
http://www.terptribe.com/
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