Abstract
Unwrapped, for a musician and three dancers aged between 17 and 60, was developed for presentation by Atelier, a forum for independent artists to meet in an art gallery setting, for which I was commissioned to make new ballet-based choreography. The research crucible was the academic ballet class, in which the physical, intellectual and affective spheres of the dancer's experience are engaged and a choreographic exploration that integrates shared and personal histories and develops methods accounting for both change in and relationship with traditional epistemologies. Research considered a moment of flowering in Romantic ballet exemplified by Giselle Act 2 (the 'White act' in ballet vernacular):- shared histories arising from Giselle, corps de ballet of women, concepts related to 'promise' [See 2.4] and the experience at different ages of wanting and 'having' to dance. Movement and sonic material were developed collaboratively through choreographic tasks and somatic interrogation of ballet gesture:- academic (port de bras) and choreographic (Queen of Wilis gesture for 'no) [2.3] and principle:- en croix as metaphor for dimensions of space and time. Experiment focussed on the feeling of a balletic geometry in the body, projected as lines into the space outside the body [2.1, 2.2] and on gesture as 'abstract' movement or structure in space and time, available for re-invention. [2.3,4] Roles as Principal investigator: Choreographer, Class teacher, Design concept Supporting researchers and performers: Shima Kobayashi (composition on chromatic harmonica, bells) Ann Dickie - Director, From Here To Maturity Dance Company; Bethany Elliott (freelance dancer, trained Royal Ballet School) Rym Kechacha (Central School of Ballet) Additional music: Purcell, Jay Hawkins. Costumes made by Lucy Wilson. Three performances at The Music Room, London W1 (November 2006) Funding: Danceworks, MusicRoomSpaceEvents and London Ballet Circle. Evidence: DVD compilation comprising video examples of research questions and footage of complete performance.