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Care Package was created from a few lines I jotted down in my notes back in 1994. When the opportunity arose to realize this through the Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2024: CARE festival in the fall of 2024, we swung into action. The project was premiered on October 18, 19, and 20, from 1:00-3:00 pm each day.

Passersby were invited to be accompanied by at least 1-2 other individuals over the course of different parts of 3 city blocks along 14th Street in New York City. [In this case, our chosen locations proceeded from east to west over the 3 days, following the progression of the festival’s targeted areas.] With a person’s permission, we provided a blend of physical and verbal support (unique to each encounter) as all traversed this distance. A most immediate form of CARE (the festival focus) personified.

The basic concept was to be able to offer the experience of palpable care and support as someone moved through a portion of one designated block, without any extraneous or nefarious agenda. The project’s rehearsed participants variously: led/re-directed a person along the way, provided walking massage, created simple dancing in relation to or with someone, acted as a momentary “carrier” for a person’s belongings, pointed out notable spots in the vicinity, etc. Each passage was intentionally at least slightly different, and was at times responsive as well to the storefronts of local businesses existing on the specific block.

My interest was in enlivening the experience of traveling this brief distance in unexpected ways, with the performers acting almost as “tour guides” who embodied different aspects of a care-filled environment, to make a sense of CARE vivid. Intriguing too was the idea that this could occur within the cityscape in a completely non-threatening fashion. My hope was that we would momentarily take a person’s path out of the realm of the ordinary—in the process nudging our sense and perceptions of possible positive human interaction and an awareness of the environs through which we were moving.

The participating dancers were all experienced improvisers: this enabled them to read the nature of each trajectory as it proceeded and engage each interested person accordingly. My initial intent was to have them solely carry out the tasks described above; however, it became clear that another element ought to be added, enabling them to create temporary tableaux by storefronts (or otherwise) to additionally capture and engage people’s attention. And dancers want to dance.

Especially intriguing was the “dialogue” between the dancers leading/guiding members of the public, and the former taking any opportunity to move with each other. Also, the juxtaposition of both of those with all the people who simply passed by: the latter’s gazes, how they held themselves and responded to what we were doing, etc.

Beyond what Care Package was intended to do, the result was another blurring of the line between the movement that emanates from the vocabularies of trained movers, and that which characterizes our everyday activity…and the connection that exists in-between.

This premier event was realized by David Appel (creation/direction), participant/performers Randy Burd, Ann Duffy, Sophia Dunn-Fox, Cecilia Fontanesi, Ava Heller, Emilee Lord, Noa Covelo Lores, and Nicole Touzien, with technical/logistical assistance provided by Cynthia Berkshire and Jahmani Perry.

Documentation drawn from our 10/20/24 “performance” can be accessed through the Video area of this website.