Dance Of The Igors - John FX OToole

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• published: 29 Sep 2015
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Dance Of The Igors - John FX OToole First, if you are not familiar with the works of Terry Pratchett, this concept may get a bit beyond you. But, for those who know, or want to know... In Terry Pratchett's Disc World, there exists a type of mutated human widely recognized as Hollywood's Igor-type; hunchback, lisp, dark dusty clothes, skin conditions, macabre activities. They are a clan, or species, as are vampires, werewolves, dwarves, etc, all part of Pratchett's awesome imaginary world, that draws from pretty much ALL of Science Fiction/Fantasy and puts them into social settings that you are just going to have to read to understand. The "Igors" are ALL named "Igor". I envisioned a dusky dusty banquet hall, somewhere out there with the Addams Family and Rocky Horror Picture Show, and something of a salon show, or dance recital, attended by Igors, and performed, including the music, by Igors. The music is quirky, the dancing pathetically proper, and deliciously awkward, something only an Igor could love, a mix and mockery of both tap and ballroom dance, with dandruff, dander, and puffs of dust from formal but moth-eaten clothing. You hear the Conductor walk up to the door, lame foot dragging on the floor. He enters the ballroom, where audience of Igors sit, lisping in excited whispers to each other....or whispering in excited lisps...the orchestra sits tuning its bizarre instruments made of things you would rather not know about. He walks up to the podium, clears his throat to announce he is ready, taps his baton, and... Igor picks up the tempo by tapping it out, and then, as the music commences, the troupe falls into a odd, circling, almost ritualistic dance, partners and movement, until.... The point in the composition where Igor (no, the other, more famous, one) takes a solo, a spinning sort of thing that soon goes out of control as Igor slips off the dance floor and crashes into tables and chairs. The audience applauds madly. The Conductor once again clears his throat, taps out the tempo, and the music and dance picks back up. THIS is where the piece transforms. THIS is the real vision: You hear the music start to transform, suddenly there is something exuding from the instruments, and as this happens, the Igors perceivably shift from awkwardness, ugliness, "other"ness, and we start to see them, AS THEY MAY SEE THEMSELVES, as the dance becomes graceful, beautiful, flowing, what we ourselves expect to see from dancers, and hear from musicians. The piece enters a trance like state.... Until it stops, and we are back again to Igorian goofiness, with Igor taking the final solo, a slow, cloppy sort of spin...that stops...with an awkward arm-wave (as in "Ta-DAAA") and bow.... Applause, and OUT.