Call us together.
Come, let us drift down together.*
On the 26th of April Sydney (Nicoletta) Freedman and I performed a work in progress inspired by the “The Flower Duet” in the Firkin Crane as part of the Home Festival 2013. For the past couple of years I have been looking for an opportunity to incorporate opera in my work. Intrigued by it I wanted to create a piece in collaboration with a singer. I am always interested in working with artists from outside of dance. I enjoy the way interdisciplinary dialogue brings new ideas and perspectives to the way I perceive my work.
I started working with singer Sydney at the start of April. She was my singing teacher while I studied for my MA in Contemporary Dance Performance at the Irish World Academy and I was delighted and honored when she accepted my offer to collaborate. Sydney is a founder and director of Ensemble Terirem and currently engaged in doctoral studies. We chose “ The Flower Duet ” from Lakmé as the piece of music we would build our work on. The delicate orchestration and melodic richness gave me the opportunity to explore my movement in a new way.
We had very little time before presenting our work to date and I became aware of how quickly the trust built between us. Collaborating with another artist can be quite challenging and at the same time rewarding and full of discoveries. Communication is key and often a smile from Sydney conveyed more than a thousand words. It also reminded me of how something so innocent and powerful as a smile is rare in contemporary dance and what an impact it might have on our audience.
It is important for us to know how our work is perceived and so we employ a feedback loop with those experiencing our work. With this knowledge we refine our communication. As our piece engages in themes relating to connecting with yourself, those next to you and your environment this feedback is imperative.
We have set the beginning the rest is yet to come.
…The fleeing current;
Let us follow the fleeing current…*
* From Lakmé, by Leo Delibes.