“Peterson succeeds in glorifying the inevitable. People fail. You will fail. This embrace of the universal human experience will likely secure the work a “timeless” badge among Laura Peterson Choreography’s (LPC) growing repertoire.”
Jenny Thompson, Dance Enthusiast
Failure (2017)
What is failure, and how do we deal with it – as individuals, and as communities? FAILURE was created in the aftermath of the 2016 US Presidential Election, Peterson uses choreographic language and sculptural design to zero in on the overwhelming pressure to compete, which is at the heart of the American way of life. Is a small defeat less devastating than a colossal mistake? What is the real outcome of winner-takes-all?
Featuring Peterson’s trademark interdisciplinary blend of visual art and performance, FAILURE is a dance for four people performed in and around 16 foot tall wooden structures. The dance is approximately 85 minutes, during which quartets, duets, solos culminate in the violent destruction of all the sculptures. The final marathon of endurance and physical failure draws the performance to its inevitable end. FAILURE challenges the audience while providing an opportunity to experience catharsis, and connect to the limits of our physical bodies .
“Failure invites us as members of this culture to reassess the ways in which we personalize its narratives of failure and achievement, challenging us to take a more compassionate and measured approach. Perhaps, like its dancers, by accepting our failures or reshaping the stories around them, we may find empowerment and, ultimately, transcendence. “
Emily Cordes, Theater is Easy