Featuring vocal artists:
Akeim Buck
Briony Green
Jaka Skapin
Marcia Willis
Uran Apak
Veronica Royet
As we rehearsed our work for the CID Project sharing this week, 5 singers under the direction of Jaka Skapin created sound improvisations, like a duet moving with us through the space, supporting us in a circle and following the energy of the movement we created. We were at once supported by and inspired by the sound they created, unsure as to which came first the movement or the music. This total collaboration brought about a trust, a dialogue, and also a tangible comfort, holding the space for our movement to be cushioned and embraced.
A beautiful place, beautiful people, one feels welcome, safe, looked at with kindness and respect.
TRUST is strong and BONDS are visible, touchable… so it’s easy to sing… easy to breathe and let the sounds of the intentions and movement of the dancers come out… Breathing, together… Listening beyond ears… Watching beyond eyes… Reaching one another equally in music and dance – profoundly human…
Veronica Royet, Singer
For our project sharing on 20 July, Jaka and I knew we wanted the work to be both physically and aurally original, and for the two to emerge together during the project. In week 6, the vocal accompaniment was shaped by the dancers who directed the singers in a merging of sound and movement which was all recorded live. From operatic voice, to poetry, to a complete cacophony of bizarre sounds, each group has curated vocal accompaniment for their choreography which will be shared both live and recorded at the exhibition.
Not only was the workshop this week instrumental in supporting the dancers vision for their performance, but also for the visual artists to cement their concepts for what would be offered in the final exhibition of work…
Within the dance space there is a strong sense of emotive and physical support (the term ‘safe-space’ was brought up in several discussions, but the feeling often goes much deeper than this term conveys) – both between the dancers towards each other, as well as to themselves individually. This resonated particularly during week 6, when several vocal improvisers joined the group. Their voices felt almost like a physical cushioning, that held the space for the dancers to explore their evolving ideas, and reflected movement back to them. Movement seemed to become about an awareness of individual and collective presence, of the gaps between each other, of holding an invisible expanse of trust. This is what led me, whilst reviewing the thousands of images I’d taken throughout the process, to focus on these spaces between.
Sara Hibbert, CID Project artist
The results of these collaborations and the rich work that has unfolded will be shared on 20 July at our sharing and exhibition at Poplar Union. Please visit the website for more information and join us there!