Purpose of the residency
The purpose of our residency was to continue in our explorations of coherently integrating dance and music within an improvised performance, and to explore other possible outcomes of our work in this field. We also intended to explore different modes of improvisation and how deeply we can enter into an improvisatory state.
How did you work in the residency and what were your approaches?
One of our main focuses for the week was on improvisation permeating throughout the creative process – whether in the studio or in performance. Our explorations started with improvisations which we then looked at and used to create a variety of exercises that both came out of and fed back into improvisations. With the desire to expand our palette as improvisers, we decided to explore modes of performance that were outside our usual sphere of improvisatory repertoire. Below is a list of possible outcomes for our time in Yorkshire Dance:
Performance
Film
Sound recording
Installation performance
Participatory performance
Workshop
Nothing
Childrens’ performance
Writings/essays/lists/manifestos
Film of us talking
Photos
What were the most important things you learnt from the residency?
The week at Yorkshire Dance allowed us to explore our preconceptions about work in a studio. One of the most important realisations we had was that we don’t always have to be ‘making art’ – it’s ok to just play about! This is where some of the most interesting work comes from. Having said that, it also brought home the importance of structuring the time we have in the studio. Even though we chose to work in an improvised manner, it’s helpful to keep focused and know when to change direction.
How did this residency impact on the overall development of your career and practice?
There was a realisation about improvisations we have done in the past, informed by the improvisatory frame of mind we explored throughout the week. We spent a lot of time trying to switch off the conscious part of the brain and just allow our work together to unfold from our collective consciousness. This is whole new mode of improvisation for most of the group and brings the realisation that although we have worked together for over a year now, this is only the beginning of a life’s work.
Any time we can spend together improvising as a group builds on our collective vocabulary and so feeds our improvisations with a greater variety of material.
We were also able to use the time to take some beautiful photographs and video material, which we have already used to secure future performances.