[Editor’s Note: Please join me in welcoming back to CriticalDance esteemed artist, storyteller, and choreographer Preeti Vasudevan. In addition to the more detailed biography included at the end of her review, Preeti has choreographed several pieces that were highly praised in CriticalDance and elsewhere, including a masterpiece, her solo Stories by Hand. – jh]
Meredith Monk
Park Avenue Armory
New York, New York
September/ October 2024
Indra’s Net
Preeti Vasudevan
Stepping into the vast expanse of the Park Avenue Armory, I felt a familiar thrill of anticipation, the kind that comes with encountering a Meredith Monk creation. But Indra’s Net was different. It wasn’t just a performance; it was a portal, an invitation to step inside the cosmic web and experience the universe anew.
Meredith Monk’s “Indra’s Net”
Photo by Maria Baranova
Monk, a master storyteller at weaving the intangible, draws inspiration from the ancient wisdom of Hinduism and Buddhism, where the concept of non-duality, of interconnectedness, is woven into the very fabric of existence. Like the moon people in that tribal story from India, sliding down moonbeams to dance in ecstatic communion, Monk’s singers emerged from the shadows, their voices shimmering like celestial bodies, their movements echoing the ceaseless dance of creation.
Meredith Monk’s “Indra’s Net”
Photo by Maria Baranova
Circles dominated the space – a visual echo of the interconnectedness that permeates the universe. The singers, seated in a circle, became nodes in Indra’s Net, their voices transmitting a symphony of shared experience. The audience, encircling them, became part of the web, our individual consciousnesses merging with the collective energy.
Monk’s work defies categorization. It’s not merely “performance art”; it’s a meditation, a surrender to the present moment. Like those multiverses and quantum realities we hear so much about these days, Indra’s Net invites us to let go of our preconceptions and embrace the fluidity of existence.
Meredith Monk’s “Indra’s Net”
Photo by Stephanie Berger
The performance unfolded in a series of dreamlike vignettes, each a microcosm of the larger cosmic dance. Two previous works were folded into this performance: Rotation Shrine (2021) whispered of life and death, their cyclical nature echoing the eternal rhythm of the universe. Offering Shrine (2023) invited us to contemplate the remnants of human existence, those artifacts that whisper stories of lives lived and loves lost. And then, Indra’s Net itself, a shimmering tapestry of sound and movement that evoked a sense of ethereal transience.
Meredith Monk’s “Indra’s Net”
Photo by Stephanie Berger
As the singers’ voices soared and dipped, intertwining with the soundscape, I felt a profound sense of connection, not just to the performers, but to every being in the universe. Monk’s work, stripped of cultural markers and societal constructs, revealed a raw, universal humanity. It was a reminder that beneath the surface of our individual identities, we are all connected, all part of the same collective constellation.
Meredith Monk’s “Indra’s Net”
Photo by Stephanie Berger
Leaving the Armory, I carried with me a sense of spiritual interplay, a renewed connection with the intricate web of life. Monk’s Indra’s Net is a powerful testament to the transformative power of art, a reminder that we are all ultimately tied to each other, all shimmering nodes in the vast tapestry of existence.
Meredith Monk in “Indra’s Net”
Photo by Maria Baranova
Indra’s Net was performed at The Park Avenue Armory, NY for its North American premiere between Sep 23-Oct 6 2024.
Preeti Vasudevan is an award-winning New York based cultural storyteller and thought leader exploring individual identity and the critical role of arts in the expression of the individual’s story in a global society. A critically acclaimed choreographer, Preeti’s provocative and unconventional storytelling challenges the status quo of dance-theater, bridging ancient traditions with the contemporary world.
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