a way to master silence (2004)
a way to master silence arose out of a time devoted to movement mediations contemplating the personal world of my dance practice in contrast to the public sphere of my dance life. Through repetition of remembered elements from one day to the next, it took shape as a kind of choreographic mantra – each element of the dance aligned with the influence of an individual central to my personal journey. I wanted to obscure the dance by moving into and out of small zones of light and shadow so that I was just barely visible to the viewer. The late David Morrison created an enigmatic world for me, that felt suspended in both time and space. The sonic world consisted of the sound of my body moving, the sound of the audience watching, and the sounds from outside the theatre that could be heard within it.
The title quotes the composer, writer, and translator Paul Bowles:
There is a way to master silence
Control it curves, inhabit its dark corners
And listen to the hiss of time outside
From the moment that I first read these words I recognized the closest thing I had ever found to a description of my experience inside of dance. When I performed this dance I often used the title as the banner for the concert as well, and for performances in Quebec City and Montreal it translated so potently that I used the title in french: un moyen de maîtriser le silence.
“A short yet mysterious solo presents Baker in deliberately fragmented form, viewed dimly in patterned pools of light. The movements we actually see are like pieces of an abstracted jigsaw puzzle that float amorphously in the imagination.”
- Michael Crabb, National Post
related links
Visit YouTube to watch a short film and a long film about Paul Bowles.
credits
choreography and performance:
Peggy Baker
lighting design:
David Morrison
premiere
Quebec City
April 1 - 3, 2001
La Rotonde
un moyene de maitriser le silence
subsequent presentations
media links
See 2005 and 2004 in the media and awards archive
photography
All photos of Peggy Baker by Cylla von Tiedemann.
