Listening to Dance in the Dark: research project

 

  

 

 

Research questions:

1. what do we need to do to listen more deeply?
2. how do we move without sight? how do we feel about moving together without looking?
3. how does darkness affect the performance of movement? how does darkness affect the reception of movement, through hearing, sensation and apprehension?
4. how does the same sound change from an individual movement to a collective action?
5. how much repetition clarifies? and how much repetition develops?

 

 

 

 

 

Sounding movements inventory:

Impact

• footfalls
• hands on floor, on self & others
• body to body contact

Friction

• squeeks on floor: feet twisting, sweaty hands, weight-bearing joints as pivoting points of contact
• the movement of clothing on a moving body

Sloughing

• body on the floor
• contact with other bodies

Wind

• moving the air around the room
• changing the direction + pressure of air around a seated audience

Breath

• shaping the mouth to inhale and exhale with vowel and consonant sounds
• breath as the result of movement effort

Vocalizing

• humming
• tones as the result of movement effort

Exercises and trials:

1. sound massage in partners
2. waves
3. stomp to sticky feet
4. exhale breaths to outline the space
5. pressure breath in and out of the floor
6. humm rolling
7. “Z” transposing a switch-back rhythm together, travels
8. shuffling feet
9. walking as one
10. creating wind from moving together + passing, also from stopping together
11. sticky finger hot potatoe
12. moving as one, group travels while making contact
13. new waves

Workshop calendar