Choreographer Miguel Gutierrez brings ‘Sensewalk’ to Grand Army Plaza
By Carrie Stern
It was a brilliant day for a walk in Prospect Park — bright blue sky, temperature a perfect low-70s, not a cloud in the sky. Sixteen explorers gathered under the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Grand Army Plaza preparing for … well, we weren’t sure quite what.
Choreographer Miguel Gutierrez, a sweet-faced man dressed in a pink tank-top, long cut-offs, sneakers and a cap, was to lead us on an adventure. Not a trip into deep, rarely seen regions of the park; rather this was an adventure into the body using the park as a sensory exploratorium — “Sensewalk #1: Everything Is New.”
Crossing the street, we entered a concrete gazebo on the edge of the park just outside the Cadman Plaza Farmers Market. Two little boys played a brothers’ game, turning balloon keep-away into a fierce competition. Outside a jazz band played. Gutierrez asked us to close our eyes. As we stood “still,” the chattering and shouting of the market became pronounced, rising and falling on the air. I am rarely truly still. With my eyes closed I became aware of tiny twitches in my knees, of little currents running up and down my legs, of my neck turning my head, very slightly, side to side, towards and away from the music.