Kelly's duration dance

I created an assignment for the performers in Evidence as part of our rehearsal process. It was to explore duration as a part of the exploration of making and performing these solos.

Here's the prompt: Please do a short solo for someone not in our group. It
could be a fellow student or a prof or someone related, such as the
caretaker of a kid, etc. The exploration is on Duration and Frame.
Most of us crafted our solos based on content and less on
structural, visual, and formal ideas (timing, duration, frame of
reference).

So the prompt is this: do an exploration of duration. How long can you do
one legible thing before either you have to transform it, or the spectator
is finished? So we'll ask our spectator to be a co-researcher. You ask
your spectator to give you ten to fifteen minutes after a class. You ask them, if your last week were a billboard, what would it read? You, the performer, should decide on a distinct
site spot where spectator will sit/stand. Put them there, or tell them
where it is. You could lie them down. . . .whatever. Experiment with how
they can be situated.
Consider a clear point of view: what will they see? will it be far or
close? long or short? clear or obscured?
Consider duration: how long can it last? when does it get 'boring' or
'used up' for the spectator?
Consider timing: how fast or slow do you do it? how much repetition?
You might be able to do basically anything--a dance phrase up your sleeve,
something pedestrian, something involving others, a feat of some sort. I
think the exploration here is the where and how long, not the what, though it should be informed by the phrase your spectator gives you.

Tell them you are going to perform for a while and they should leave when they 'are full', 'get bored', 'feel complete', 'want to move on'--however you want to phrase it.
So SPECTATOR leaves, not you.
You are asking them to give you feedback with their actions. If they don't
leave, keep going, letting it transform, but remember you are playing with
duration, timing, frame/perspective.
You could do something where you are barely seen, or seen only some of the
time or in such a public space that you recruit others.


I did one for Kelly, a dancer who was in class today who I worked with as part of a piece I made for Danceworks co. She's a hilarious person. She told me her billboard was No Drama for This Mama, after a week of much drama around her she's been trying to avoid.

I situated her behind a glass window just after the Union and before the Library, protecting a passage leading to a parking lot; there was a long paved path she looked out on through the glass that ran down to Maryland Ave. I began with my back right up against the glass, very close to her. I had a diet coke. I had sun glasses on and pedestrian clothes. I found a heavy trash can and with much effort and fanfare, I moved it to the center of the path. It was lunch so many people were walking all over the place. No one stopped to stare, though I was comedically struggling with this dirty beast. I tried to mount it, climb on it, and do a handstand on it. That was my 'drama'. My job, as I saw it, was to create a dramatic task and try to wheedle her into getting involved but stopping her before she did. I ran back to her occasionally and asked if she could support me, but only if she wanted. She was confused as to whether I was performing or not. I returned to the trash can, tried to make it steady with some branches as shims, and tried to do a precarious handstand on top again. I tried over and over. I moved it laboriously elsewhere. I tried again. I asked for support again. I looked at her many times, pleadingly. I ran to mount it. I lifted my shirt up more and more so my whole belly was showing, to create 'drama'. I did some rib isolations. I was being as dramatic as I could trying to get this mounted handstand happening. After about 15 minutes, she finally came over to help, but I told her she really shouldn't, that'd I'd gotten myself into that mess and should get out of it.

She left.