Montpellier Calling Me

A week off just before the second year of the Exerce programme gets underway in October gave me a moment to write a brief update to you all. Given that before June and from March my movements were more or less restricted to a 27sqm apartment with no access to an outdoor terrace or garden, it might be more interesting from a choreographic perspective (as opposed to an existential crisis perspective!) to let you know what’s been happening since after the confinement.

Theoretically, all university activity in France was required to shift off-campus and onto the dreaded screen from March until September. A tough restriction for a choreography programme to stomach really! Luckily though, the unique position of the programme being housed in the choreographic centre here in Montpellier rather than on a university campus – accompanied by some impressive wrangling and haggling by the programme leaders – largely allowed us to safely circumvent this particular government decree. This meant that we could shift the programme three months summer-ward and from June enter the studios to recommence our personal choreographic research. Weird at first, but quickly a grand relief. Eventually, as the further restrictions were relaxed, we could also invite an audience to share in our work, albeit small and distanced.

In this time I’ve had the absolute pleasure to be working on a duet with Christian Kossa, who is here in the programme with me. Our work-in-research I’ve titled Being(s)(un)solid. A video from our studio performance a couple of weeks ago you can find at this link: https://vimeo.com/463583722 (password: 2020_publications!). And to give an introductory air to the work, the programme notes from our showing are below (for those who might read french, spot the mistranslation(s)!).

I also had the pleasure to invite sound artist, musician and singer Cammack Lindsey to Montpellier in August to have a first meeting and play around. We had an super generative time together and are currently looking to find ways we can get together again within the next year to continue where we left off. Lots of emails to write. Until then though, here is a link to an example of their work: https://soundcloud.com/quantum_natives/iruuu-cammack-lindsey-000019-0000ff [Click i.ruuu for more, including a piece made from the “atmospheric sounds of cyanobacteria symbiosis”. It’s a joy.]

Late August also took me back to Berlin to perform in the launch event of Cranky Bodies, a new dance company initiated by Peter Pleyer and Michiel Keuper. Here is a short video of that event: https://www.tanzforumberlin.de/produktion/cranky-bodies-a-company/

With Covid’s grace I will back in Berlin again in November for a restaging of the work we performed back in 2017, Cranky Bodies Dance Reset.

Then from there it will be back to Montpellier to make the most of the flying time in this programme. More updates to come.

It still feels like the biggest privilege to be here working right now. I’ve thanked you in the programme notes as you might see, and I thank you here again for the part you’ve played in making this possible.

Let’s keep dancing through the storm.

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