An altar of cracked walnuts (collected from the Katie Shaw’s family tree), apples, and lemons in various states of dismemberment are carefully arranged on an impressive stone that sits center stage. The lighting creates magic out of these ordinary offerings- a transcendental space for the performer/choreographer Shaw to inhabit.

Shaw moves between around, through, and against the space— alternating between moments of sustained meditation and joyful release. Dripping lemon juice, apple chunks, and sharp debris from walnut shells populate the intimate theatre and continue to build turmoil during the duration of the performance. 

There is an anticipation oriented towards the ingestion of these edible arrangements, and how it transforms the emotional quality of the movement. In 200 Minds presents us with the gritty fear, anger, joy, confusion, and euphoria that thoughts can bring into our life. Shaw holds this space with clear embodied presence and intention in each gesture. I was captivated by their ability to make eye contact with the audience and hold our gaze with a deep care. An apt reflection of our role as witness to this delectable enactment of failing. 

In this performance: the simple act of eating and enjoying an apple becomes an artifice to pleasure, juicing lemons using elbows as citrus reamers resembles a bitter realization, and forcefully chucking walnuts creates an image of casting aside logic. I am reminded of the visceral messy-ness of thinking thoughts and seeking answers with each bite Shaw takes of the scrumptious fruits. Thoughts are lived, embodied, and performed daily in cycles of mastication and digestion.

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