choreo5

This sequence is the result of us taking the next step in the use of breath & movement score method from Part 1 and applying it to create a sequence that has a theme or a starting point. We used the grey area between human-animal as a broad theme and chose instinct / conditioning / reasoning / wild / domesticated as more specific starting points for our movement vocabulary. We then created the sequence collectively by defining the breath score as we created the movement patterns.

The breath is used not just in the process of creating the material but also to drive the movement. It is used to let the dancers find the movement and to gain a real sensation of it rather than artificially placing on top of the sequence.

This duet between Jessie and Laura was the most improvised one, looking for yet another way of connecting with another person – through sensing rather than seeing or touching. This was inspired by my work as a cranio-sacral therapist and my experience of treating people through physical touch but also hands off the body. This duet relies on the dancers connecting with each other on a subtle energy level. Due to its subtle and intimate nature, it is of course very vulnerable for the influence of the audience.

In this double duet, we finally made it into physical contact. Earlier during the research we tried creating contact duet, but failed until the last week of the research. What we previously struggled with was how to move from improvisation into set choreography without losing the essence of the interaction between the dancers (that is so tangible in improvisation) and ending up with just meaningless set of movements.

In the process of creating this duet, we improvised a lot, generating a handful of ‘good moments’ that could be developed further. The two pairs were improvising with two different tasks initially, but somehow ended up with similar foot/head connection, which led us to try to combine the material into one duet. When we started setting the double duets, we build it by meticulously defining the intention behind each move. This led us to create an intention score for the sequence simultaneously with the movement pattern.

The first duet in this clip was based on our research of ways of connecting with each other. This duet is structured improvisation between Daisy and Lara, who first created loose structures independently, focusing on the use of space in their individual movements, and then we used these structures to connect with each other spatially. As a choreographer, I am interested in the underlying connection between the dancers that can be sustained regardless of the dancers moving further away or when coming into physical contact.

This duet breaks away and becomes another duet between Daisy and Laura, as well as a trio with Lara, Jessie and Jem. The sequence for the trio was developed by deducting the material from Part 1. The movement material was manipulated according to an intention: itchiness / spikiness, that was layered on top of the original material. To further develop the material, the trio occupied very tight space, evolving the expression of the movement and creating a contrast to the travelling duet.

The duet between Daisy and Laura was based on material created during the research when we first started working in smaller groups and look at contact work. We applied the method of creating breath & movement scores, but we had not yet discovered a convincing way of connecting with each other to create the duet that would include physical contact and therefore the dancers stayed separate.

This movement material was a by-product of us discovering the method of building breath and movement scores simultaneously. The material itself didn’t have any theme or underlying starting point – we used any movements that happened to link together. The key was to apply the method of creating and become confident with it. Previously, we had discovered how the expression of the movement changed, sometimes significantly, depending on the quality and direction of our breathing. We, therefore, created the basic sequence by continuously being aware and building the breath score as a pattern which could be repeated together with the movement.

Later we played with formations and breaking the sequence with additional tasks, such accumulation of dancers – the dancers start with balancing, not knowing in advance which place they would end up in the group. The order and the length of the accumulation was therefore dictated by the dancers’ ability to balance for an extended period – which was affected by the presence of an audience.