Compassion and Transcend-dance, with Liz Erber & Andrew Wass

Bande á Part - Tanzbare Veranstaltung für Außenseiter - präsentiert Compassion and Transcend-dance is a dance and mask-theater performance, performed and created by Liz Erber and Andrew Wass. The piece is second in a series of evening-length performances from Erber and Wass, exploring the topic of compassion. Organized in a collage-style format, story, dance and audience-interaction scenes fold together in a non-linear way, reflecting the often non-linear experience of everyday life, in which present moment blends with memory, fear, beliefs, dreams, hopes for the future, etc. "Showing compassion" is perhaps one of the most profound ways to connect with others, whether they are people, animals, or the environment. True compassion goes beyond empathy, driving us into action, to relieve the suffering of others. Through compassion, we transcend the often typical concern for one’s self and one’s well-being alone. One is reminded of heroic acts during the holocaust, 9-11, or natural disasters such as the 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia. Compassion seems to arise in abundance during extreme situations or periods of crisis, but what about everyday life? Erber and Wass concern themselves with every-day-life experiences. When have we experienced compassion? When have we shown compassion and what drove us to express compassion? Perhaps most importantly, what blocks us from compassion, separating us in a way so that we no longer feel compelled to act or even take notice of others’ suffering? What keeps us looking the other way? In Compassion and Transcend-dance we therefore reveal not only the humane side of the human race, but the underbelly of humanity as well: fear, small-mindedness, selfishness, a scarcity-mentality—attitudes that separate us from others and from acts of kindness and generosity.