RHYTHM BATH IS AN INVIGORATING MASH-UP OF A DANCE PERFORMANCE, SCULPTURE GARDEN, AND OTHERWORLDLY LOUNGE.

This dance-installation offers a paradigm shift in theater-going, in which the audience is free to roam right through the dance. Enter a transporting space of rhythmic music and movement, floating fabric, and glimmering light, where there is no “right” way to be. Sit, lounge, stand, walk, roll on wheeled chairs—move as you need to, come and go as you please. Experience being in the midst of movement happening all around you as the dancing adjusts to wherever you are.

Rhythm Bath is what it sounds like: a chance to be surrounded by rhythm—visual, aural, and kinesthetic. Our brains are wired to entrain with rhythm, and to link to others’ movements through a neurological process called interpersonal synchrony. Over the course of Rhythm Bath, the movement and music shift from a pulsing, almost dance party rhythm to one of oceanic calm. Viewers can relax and soak it in quietly or follow the action and be energized by the surrounding movement. Patterns and lines are created by the dancers as they change location in response to audience members’ shifting placement; at times, members of the audience become an unpredictable part of the choreography.

Rhythm Bath is this specific dance-installation—yet a “rhythm bath” more broadly could be a new form of performance that offers audiences an inclusive place to engage in an aesthetic experience, connect through rhythm, and enjoy art together as an impromptu community.

Following the 7 PM show, join Susan Marshall and Mimi Lien for a post-show conversation. This talkback is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, as part of Defying Boundaries: MacArthur Fellows at 45.