For the first time, the audience will be invited to follow one of the master aerialist’s private daily practice sessions on the tightrope. (Matthew Bannister & Keith Bomely ©DBOX)
This Saturday evening, the Orpheum Film & Performing Arts Center in Tannersville will present “Open Practice: On the High Wire with Philippe Petit,” a rare opportunity to peer into the backstage secrets of a unique artist. For the first time, the audience will be invited to follow one of the master aerialist’s private daily practice sessions on the tightrope.
Petit starts on the ground, demonstrating a selection of his warm-up movements essential to his best corporal behavior on the wire. Then, on an apparatus low enough for you to catch his features and the details of his gestures, he prefaces each crossing by explaining why each walk is different, and how these differences create a “progress program” conducive to artistic creativity. He shares stories about the creation of each major walk and shows the evolution of a simple move into a complex choreography. Petit concludes the demonstration, on the ground again, with a question-and-answer session.
Philippe Petit has written ten books, including To Reach the Clouds, which recounts the adventure of his illegal high-wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. That walk was the subject of the 2009 Academy Award-winning documentary film, Man on Wire, and also inspired Robert Zemeckis’ 2015 feature film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit, The Walk.
“Open Practice: On the High Wire with Philippe Petit” begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 31. Tickets cost $25 general admission, $20 for seniors and $7 for students if ordered in advance, $30 general, $25 for seniors and $7 for students at the door. To preorder, call (518) 263-2063 or visit https://bit.ly/2U59jAk.
Open Practice: On the High Wire with Philippe Petit, Saturday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m., $30/$25/$20/$7, Orpheum Film & Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main St., Tannersville, (518) 263-2063, https://bit.ly/2U59jAk