NINE SECONDS OF SEI#1
30.9.2018, Broedplaats de Lely, Amsterdam
SEI#1 is a dance and music performance on the edge between improvisation and choreography, between immediate intuitive and pre-determined acoustic and choreographed movements. The dance happens in dialogue with a solo violin composition by Johan Sebastian Bach remixed live by composer Giuliano Bracci. The presence of different and parallel tracks of the piece serves the search for inhabiting a variety of different layers of corporeality in dialogue with the acoustic dimensions unfolding around Bach’s composition.
In SEI#1 dance is intended to become a vehicle to investigate and communicate embodied gnosis. Embodied gnosis can be understood as an intuitive knowing suspended in an imaginal realm between concrete corporeality and an intangible and unspeakable unknown.
To question relations between spirit (spirituality) and matter (corporeality) via a dynamic interplay between the psyche (or soul) and physis (the body/the planet/the universe) is taken as a departure point for the coming into being of a dance language.
A video excerpt of nine seconds of SEI#1- temporally expanded through slowing it down to nineteen seconds - is here annotated from the perspective of the dancer through retrospective dance writing.
By zooming into selected fragments of the dance, I process and make explicit inner experiences during the dance through words coupled with moving or still images
[00:00 – 00:01]
The right foot passes the left leg, searching for a new place to land in front of it. The entire upper body twists towards the left, falling into an abyss of gravity on the left side of the body, while trusting that one or the other foot, or both together will be able to catch the impact of the fall. The arms stay behind the back, the right wrist accompanies the right leg in its forward thrust, taking the space straight forwards that is opened by the sideward and downward motion of the upper body. The left arm stays in a backwards extension with the palm facing upwards, now pointing diagonally upwards behind the back, patiently waiting to be picked up by a next momentum.
[00:00]
Both arms are extended behind the back, the palms of the hands facing upwards, the wrists are close to each other at about the height of the pelvis. The right upper thigh and knee rest against the left upper thigh and knee, while the right lower leg is lifted off the ground. This situation is suspended on the left foot, which is turned outwards. It is not a stable balance. The body is at the verge of falling forwards.
[00:01 -00:02]
As soon as the right foot finds its new place one step forward with the weight of the body rather on the ball of the foot, the right heel almost but not touching the ground, the left foot leaves the ground, apparently already knowing that it will replace the right foot. For a fraction of a second, both balls of the feet meet each other side by side, the ankles crossed, the heels lifted. The upper body and head still are bent forwards and sideways, while the right arm already begins its journey back to the right side of the body, where it usually hangs.
[00:02 – 00:03]
While the left heel is rolling down, re-settling the body now one step ahead, the right foot takes distance from the central axis of the body which is slightly tilted towards the left side. The right extended leg describes a semi circle, reducing the described radius by bending the right knee, looking for a new place to settle behind the body while the left heel peels off the ground, anticipating a new status quo. Simultaneously, the left arm that was left behind the back now passes along the left side of the body, skin to skin, while the upper spine and head return to a vertical orientation, yet curved sideways towards the right. During the return towards verticality, the right arm that had escaped straight forwards all by its own, now finds its way back via the right hand touching the right shoulder.
[00:03 – 00:04]
The right foot now settles at its place behind the body and collects the rest of the body toward it. The slightly sideways curved spine opens towards the right side, while the right hand unfolds downwards, the right elbow touching the right front side of the pelvis.
[00:04-00:05]
The new position of the right foot leads the rest of the body to facing straight forwards. The left ball of the foot is resting on a shallow diagonal behind the right foot, supporting the joining of the left side of the body with the already forwards facing right side by pressing against the floor.
[00:05 -00:06]
The left elbow now passes in front of the face while the entire body continues spiraling towards the right side, the right arm hangs closely next to the body, the palm facing forwards. As the weight of the body fully arrives on the right foot and leg, the left foot only touches the ground via the tip of the toes. The left elbow points straight upwards, the lower arm and hand framing the head. The front of the body is fully frontally exposed, the spine straight, the chin slightly lifted upwards, the chest pressing forwards.
[00:08 – 00:09]
the weight of the body descends deeper, landing on the new position of the left foot. The right lower arm starts to move upwards while the left elbow keeps descending along the right side of the body. The weight of the body is now distributed equally on both feet.
[00:06 -00:07]
The shoulders keeps turning sideways to the right until they align diagonally with reference to the square space. The left foot leaves towards making a step backwards and sideways, the left elbow comes down again, crossing in front of the face.
[00:07- 00:08]
While the left foot finds its new place at the back and side of the body on the same diagonal line as the shoulders, the weight of the body starts to sink down, the face re-appearing after having been eclipsed by the left upper arm on its way downwards.
[00:15 – 00:16]
The left foot presses against the ground, initiating a shift of weight back towards the right foot. The hands start leaving the proximity of the chest. They transform the pressing shift of the weight from one leg to the other into a gesture of opening the hands.
[00:16 - 00:19]
The weight of the body continues shifting towards the right leg, the distance between the hands and the chest increases. The weight has almost arrived at the right foot again but is still distributed between both legs, asymmetrically, the palms of the hands almost touch each other.
[00:09 – 00:10]
Descending deeper downwards, the weight begins to shift towards the left foot while taking the shoulder out of the diagonal towards the left side. The taking over of the weight by the left foot allows the right foot to slide forwards while the spine begins to tilt towards the left side.
[00:10 - 00:11]
The right foot keeps sliding away from the left foot while the rest of the body continues the downwards spiral towards the left side.
[00:11- 00:12]
The upwards rising right hand has now arrived at the lowest rib, in closer proximity to the left hand. The body continues its spiraling motion towards the left side, the right leg begins to join the rotation by turning the right heel outwards. In parallel with the right heel moving outwards, the right elbow moves from behind the back towards pointing sideways.
[00:12- 00:13]
As the right heel anchors on the ground, the right elbow passes a slight upward diagonal in line with the shoulders that tilt towards the left side.
[00:13 – 00:14]
The axis of the body is now tilting forwards, the spine and its extension via the right leg describes a diagonal line facing the left back corner of the stage.
[00:14 – 00:15]
Pressing the right foot into the ground allows the left shoulder to twist further towards the left side. The bent left elbow sticks out behind the back, while the right hand and the left hand meet each other on the left side of the chest.