Karina/text on method
what how why
‘Rock Step - Triple Step - Triple Step’ is a performance piece part of the 3rd Tetra Gamma Circulaire experimental magazine. The work consists of two ballroom dancers - or jive dancers -, a floppy disk with 1930s - 50s jazz, rock and roll or boogie boogie music and instructions in the form of step terminology in mp3 format. The floppy content can be read by inserting the disk into a floppy drive connected to a raspberry pi. The audience is able to control the dancers by pressing buttons no a web interface. Once a button is pressed, the terminology is communicated through the speakers.
The aim of the performance is for the audience to keep the dancers in flow. Once the instructions stop, the dancers stop and stand in their starting position. The audience, with time, start understanding the flow and at what time to give another instruction. If too many instructions are communicated at once, the dancers only listen to the last given one.
why: feel time perception Bergsonian-event time v.s. Newtonian-clock time.
[name] is a collaborative piece with Anna Lystad. A series of filmed ballroom dances not only document the steps, but also express the sense of time and space.
The movies do not force a story within the dances [choreography K]. It focuses on the dance technique and editing skills.
I would like to document nicely, Anna would like to practice editing movement from different angles.
‘Rock Step - Triple Step - Triple Step’ was a first step in the recording / documenting project with Anna. (one derived from another)
Both projects look at the aspect of flow and being lost in time while dancing, yet ‘Rock Step - Triple Step - Triple Step’ was a live performance piece, while [name] is a documented (filmed) collection of dances. ‘Rock Step - Triple Step - Triple Step’ allows the audience to interact with the dancers through commands, whilst the film can be ‘felt’ more through vision (?). One hands-on / practical, other sensing / emotion based.
Anna Lystad has been very interested in ‘Rock Step - Triple Step - Triple Step’ since the beginning. She helped during the testing period, hence understands the background, reach and aim. Her film production, lighting and editing skills would enhance the development of the project. She would love to practice editing movement with the restriction (limitation) of music and rhythm. Collaborating will also consist of finding a balance between story-telling and documentation. [fix up sentence K].
After creating my own choreology for ‘Rock Step - Triple Step - Triple Step’, I realised how challenging it is to combine all aspects that need to be communicated in dance notation: speed; rhythm; direction; purpose; emotion, to name a few. Similarly to labanotation created by Rudolf Laban in 1928, I would like to investigate more into communicating more of these factors through graphics to expand my own notation and use it for other ballroom dance styles.
I find it useful to be able to visualise a dance, as it helps me better understand my own movement, and improves my memory, as it is a method of loci, a memory palace technique.