Can language be a barrier or can it give some sort of understanding?
In two instances this year, I went to performances that were not in my native language. The first was in French, which I have a good understanding of with limited vocabulary, but still acted as a barrier. Something I did notice while I watched the performance was that I could understand what was happening on stage, but I didn't quite understand all of the words. At first, I tried my very best to listen to the words and decipher the dialogue. I soon began focusing on the aesthetics of the performance such as lighting, set (and set changes) and costumes. After the performance, I found that I lost a lot of what was happening on stage which was a shame for me. The other performance I watched in a different language was Vietnamese water puppetry at the quai Branly theatre. It this performance, I focused much less on the language and more on what was happening on stage, or rather in the pool of water, and found it quite fascinating. The performance made me feel incredibly calm and relaxed although I could not understand the poetry the narrator chanted. For me, it was very normal to hear this kind of language because I have lived in Asia all my life.
I feel that language really can be a barrier, but it depends on the kind of performance.
In two instances this year, I went to performances that were not in my native language. The first was in French, which I have a good understanding of with limited vocabulary, but still acted as a barrier. Something I did notice while I watched the performance was that I could understand what was happening on stage, but I didn't quite understand all of the words. At first, I tried my very best to listen to the words and decipher the dialogue. I soon began focusing on the aesthetics of the performance such as lighting, set (and set changes) and costumes. After the performance, I found that I lost a lot of what was happening on stage which was a shame for me. The other performance I watched in a different language was Vietnamese water puppetry at the quai Branly theatre. It this performance, I focused much less on the language and more on what was happening on stage, or rather in the pool of water, and found it quite fascinating. The performance made me feel incredibly calm and relaxed although I could not understand the poetry the narrator chanted. For me, it was very normal to hear this kind of language because I have lived in Asia all my life.
I feel that language really can be a barrier, but it depends on the kind of performance.
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