Two themes. Two stories. Two sides.
Craftily split and culture personified.
She introduces Part 1: The Earth Has Weight with the lines:
“Captured by the chains that make us
I love you but I want more
Taken by the chains that made us”
Cherry-pick with me on this one. Would you rather be in a jail cell or be enslaved mentally? You might think this is a trick question because truthfully, they’re very similar.
Physical bondage just like any other form of imposition is a terrible deal. The worst of it however, is that which has to do with the mind – mental suppression.
In a world that is plagued by troubles from all angles, misery has become a sort of norm.
Later in the song, she sings “agony no more has won” in a chant-like form while the choreographers correspondingly move about accordingly as if to cosign the above message.
Throughout the song, “captured by the waves” is leitmotif.
Considering the earth is made up of 75% water, the world having weight is a statement that can be interpreted in many ways. From ideologies and philosophies to beliefs and actions, a great number of forces come together to keep the world in rotation.
If you look well enough, you’ll notice the heavy presence of the “Owuo Atwedee” pendant and folkloric clothing that cut across most scenes in this part.
Varied powers and constituents make up the world in its entirety. The world has weight. Literally and metaphorically. No explanations needed.
Ordinarily when songs are split, the sound of the former transcends into the latter but in this case, there’s a halt. An end to a first chapter and the beginning to another.
Very synonymous to the title “The Water”, Sutra takes a calmer and much more soulful and shrewd approach with the second part – Reconciliation.
The first scenes shed light on the three most important elements its story is centered around – Sutra, a young girl and the tribal dancers.
The young girl is found running through the woods in search for something. It’s not quite clear who/what she’s running from or who/what she’s running to.
Sutra sings distantly from the guitar strings as if to whisper to the young girl running around.
After hearing the following lines, the story began to take form.
“Though I walk through the valley, Lord
I will fear no evil
By the water fill my soul
No matter where I go”
Sutra, a grown-up version of herself served as a guide to the young girl who is a littler version.
Together with her tribal dancers, they employ their earth and wind bending techniques to bury five different flowers.
Uncertainty is heavy here once more because it’s not clear what the flower represents. It may be that Sutra is passing on some for of heritage to our young girl or perhaps a piece to some puzzle.
Ever played any game that had to do with getting clues or watched or read a piece that had to with finding answers? If you’ve done that, I bet you’ll be as appreciative as the young girl who found the buried flower because Lord knows there’s nothing better than having a sense of direction when in doubt.
What we do know for sure is that the flower is a proxy to a next phase. A phase we hope to see later on.
Reconciliation is a dazzling piece. One with as many questions as answers.
Waves/The Water is raw. It’s subtle. It’s experimental.
Check it out here: