Dance of the day

Use

A score for groups to make and execute an accumulative choreography. The situations occurring through this protocol enhance how one contributes to and influences ‘something’: a possible structure or organisation, not yet a given, and still to come. It makes tangible how we are always already regulating a scene for which no rules are written yet. This practice explores the performative—reality-producing—capacity of movement.

Protocol

Depending on the time a group has, this protocol runs through more or less rounds of collecting and choosing movement/s, of making a choice regarding the passing on and re-composing of the chosen movement/s. The different rounds are ideally guided by someone who knows the existing score well so as to create moments for witnessing and reflection.

Collecting

As soon as someone starts walking through the space, everybody joins. As soon as someone stops walking, everybody stops. At that moment there is engagement with any traceable movement—be it inner or outer, shape-making or space-taking, a state of being, voicing, noise making or interaction creating. Whatever comes and is received, is embodied in such a way that it can be revisited and reiterated later.

Choosing and passing on

Gathering and assembling of things found individually through sharing them and making a group getting acquainted with them.

A collection of these found elements is made. Language can be used or not in order to pass on what is relevant for the re-embodiment of the chosen elements. Who starts, starts. As long as nobody refuses this procedure lasts until everybody has shared one or more memorised moment/s.

Re-composing and witnessing

All elements that the group has collected and shared by now will be made danced. Until now though there are no rules or appointments yet to how this will happen. The only condition is that all shared elements will get embodied once by everybody within the time agreed on.

After everybody agrees on the duration of the first ‘dance’, 2/3rd of the group will move, 1/3rd will witness. There will be at least three dances, so roles will be refreshed twice.

set hourglass / timer and bell — first dance — assembly 1 set hourglass / timer and bell — second dance — assembly 2 set hourglass / timer and bell — Dance of the Day

Report

Through the following score for reporting thought the making of the Dance of the Day is now revisited and impressions can be shared: think of a precise moment you can anquor in time ("about the middle of the time", "at the beginning", "toward the end", "when something very loud drove past the house"), space ("somewhere on the muure", "against a window", "where it was drafty in the hall") and your body ("my back against the wall", "my cold foot", "a sânning behind my left ear") describe this particular moment and what it brought up in you emotionally, thought-processual, associatively… Indicate the beginning and end of your report by putting your hands shortly on the ground. You ALWAYS speak in first person singular, first tense, you don’t name others by name but refer to them as ‘someone’. For listeners a waving with hands can be used as gesture when the report is resonating strongly.

Credits

A group procedure which developed during the courses Activated Space and Body between 2017 en 2019 by Heike L. and the students.