Movement and Music
It’s December now, and we’re really close to the world premiere of who we are in the dark next year. Peggy has completed choreographing for our seven fantastic dancers; and composers/musicians Sarah Neufeld and Jeremy Gara have completed their original score.
In this series of ultra-sneak peeks at this incredible new work, we’ve taken four short excerpts from the latest archival video, and asked Peggy to comment on the movement and the music in each one.
movement and music #1
”This is an early scene from the piece, and choreographically I’m working with the idea of form arising out of darkness. Energies funnel, eddy and swirl as ‘particles’ collide and coalesce; orbital pathways and rotational forces seem to be arranging the dancers. The sound is open and spare with a melody line threading through it. There is a sense that the music and the movement are in a state of emergence.”
movement and music #2
”In the aftermath of a violent and chaotic scene, two dancers – Kate Holden and David Norsworthy – are suddenly thrown together. The push and pull between them reveals tensions and desires that cannot be resolved. Sarah Neufeld’s violin line feels to me as if it arises from their bodies.”
movement and music #3
”This scene is a bit of a rampage. The dancers advance in a single confrontational line that explodes and reforms. The music pushes forward with a tremendous pressure fuelled by Jeremy Gara’s playing. It makes me think of a mob advancing downhill and gaining a momentum they can’t control.“
movement and music #4
”These four women – Sarah Fregeau, Mairi Greig, Kate Holden and Sahara Morimoto – are linked together through an acknowledgement of losses suffered. They are there for each other. The deep listening among them offers condolence. The music offers comfort, its beauty is healing.”
The final step before our debut with Canadian Stage at the Bluma Appel on February 21 is a 6-day residency at the Betty Oliphant Theatre, where we’ll incorporate all of the design elements into the show: the set drops by John Heward, projections by Jeremy Mimnagh, costumes by Robyn Macdonald and lighting by Marc Parent.
All the details for performances of who we are in the dark in Toronto and on tour across Canada in February, March, and April 2019 are here on our website.