Sunday March 20, 2011 - A square platform in the performance space seemed to glow from within as we entered the theater at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center to watch a pre-presentation run-thru for an evening presented by MORPHOSES, heralding the start of their creative season which will culminate in October when Luca Veggetti's BACCHAE will be premiered. Dancers Frances Chiaverini and Emma Pfaeffle (above) stepped onto the luminous platform and the square began to display its magical qualities: it is not merely a place to dance, but a musical instrument as well.
Kokyat and I had been told by Lourdes Lopez, director of MORPHOSES, about this unusual device but experiencing it in context was really quite fascinating. When the audience at the actual showing watched (and heard) what the dancers were doing, there was a state of quiet awe in the house.
Lourdes welcomed the invited audience and introduced Elizabeth Kendall; Ms. Kendall is a scholar and writer with a special interest in and knowledge of THE BACCHAE, the play by Euripides on which Luca Veggetti - resident artistic director of MORPHOSES - is basing his newest work. Elizabeth and Luca together set forth some of the main aspects of the story and how it will evolve into a danced work. The composer Paolo Aralla was also on hand.
The dancers Emma and Frances appeared and started to demonstrate the sonic effects that the magical platform can generate. It may have other 'languages' to speak, but tonight we heard three distinctive sound-dialects. First, a sort of swooshing sound - rather like a fencing sword swishing thru the air. Then a darker and more metallic 'industrial' sound. Finally, actual words can be produced; culled from longer spoken phrases, individual words can be repeated: shouted, whispered or echoed.
The volume and intensity of sound is goverened by the force with which the dancer makes contact with the surface. Softly passing the foot over the surface produces a soft metallic swish; an emphatic stomp or strking the floor with the hand makes a percussive accent.
Click on the image to enlarge. The two girls then performed an improvised dance based on Luca's movement style; Emma began on the platform with Frances in a separate pool of light on the stage floor. Later Frances stepped onto the platform and together they played the instrument like virtuosi even though they'd only had a couple hours to try it out. The audience seemed entranced.
A larger version of the platform will play a key role when BACCHAE is fully staged, but even at this early point in time it creates a sense of mystery and intrigue surrounding the dancers. The technique of how it all works was explained by Luca, but I prefer to think of it as magic.
Frances Chiaverini
Emma Pfaeffle
Emma
Emma and Frances...click on the image to enlarge.
Kokyat's photos here were taken at a preliminary run-thru before the invited audience arrived.
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