Following the Subtle Current Upstream

Alonzo King’s work investigates deeply rooted affinities between Western and Eastern classical forms, elemental materials, the natural world, and the human spirit. Described by King as “a piece about how to return to joy,” Following the Subtle Current Upstream mirrors life’s boisterous waves and reminds us that everything in nature seeks to return to its source. King’s movement—abstract but steeped in meaning—sets the dancers in constant flow to an eclectic score by Zakir Hussain, Miguel Frasconi, and Miriam Makeba.

“No weapon can pierce the soul; no fire can burn it; no water can moisten it; nor can any wind wither it. The soul is uncleavable [indivisible]; it cannot be burnt or wetted or dried. The soul is immutable, all-permeating, ever calm, and immovable—eternally the same. The soul is said to be imponderable, unmanifested, and unchangeable. Therefore, knowing it to be such, thou should not lament!” —The Bhagavad Gita II:23–25