TITLED "Y"

This is the first exploration on something I'm working with right now.

This was shown late October 2017.

The idea was actually something that came in a dream; a floating two-headed woman in a long gown.

What was essential to me creating this was the representation of two sides of the same person, or two active or conflicting states. What I mean by that is that many of us wrestle with two sides of ourselves at all points of interaction. There is one that leads with compassion and one that leads with whatever counteracts that. The purpose of attaching then at the waist was obviously representative of the original image, but also for them to discover what was possible within that restricted state. They literally had to wrestle one another in a sense, both in the struggle of the other persons body weight and in not being able to see what their other half is doing.

The music used is Lights on Water by Pan American and was chosen to create a relaxed or dreamlike state. I'm sure this seems like I'm trying to put my audience to sleep, but I wanted it to be relaxing and contemplative to contrast the chaos and overstimulation we experience every second of the day. It hard to suck an audience in, unless the performers are within 5 or 10 feet, but that is/was the goal. In the future, I'm wanting to step away from the separation we create between audience and performers, but this time around I bound to the restrictions of the theatre given. I'm aiming at embodying the idea of an experience rather than providing pure entertainment. It's really a difficult task.

This is part of a conversation I had with my roommate recently, because she asked me why I never show her my videos or videos of dance in general. My immediate opinion on dance video is not a negative one, but it is polarized. I really think it is interesting and effective, but just as some painting are not meant to be photographs, some dance is not meant to be experienced on film. The true essence of this piece is not translated properly through video, for me. I'm bias, because I am the artist, but I would hope that there is some agreement that goes alongside that. Energy is something that video cannot capture. The way an audience feels cannot be felt with a recording. Dance film works when you are trying to highlight certain features or actions, which is accomplished with lighting, angles, editing, etc. When you remove all distracting elements and you put someone in a room with a performer, an entirely different experience occurs. In some ways, its forced confrontation, which is something many of us are uncomfortable with.

THIS IS NOT TO SAY that the gap between the two things could be bridged over time. I am really interested in the possibilities for that in the future. As of now, I'm still trying to determine in what setting this could be displayed and fully reach its potential. Would you even call this dance? Would this be out of place in an art gallery? Does it give you an immediate need to cover yourself in a blanket and call it a night?

I'm curious.

ANYWAYS

This is where I'm at with this right now. Thank you for reading if you have. I thoroughly appreciate any feedback.

Best to all,

Em
(PLEASE FORGIVE THE QUALITY)