Sept. 17 - Talk back after 6:30 Show

Noemie Lafrance: The piece changes every week based on your feedback last week, there wasn’t much participation and more dance and more separation between audience and performer and now I wanted to go further with the participation so I changed a lot and this was the largest group and some of the things we cant even see anymore, but I’d love to know how it feels on the inside and during the performance…

A: I love that at the beginning there was so much confusion. I enjoyed the curiosity and great way to enter because it felt natural to participate once you approached us.

NL: Maybe a dancer would like to talk about from the inside how it’s working and feeling?

Zoe Schieber (Dancer): In response to that as a performer, I was lying on the floor. It took them a while to realize that something was happening right behind them.

NL: Since I’m the choreographer I’m so worried about people actually getting it and seeing things I see sometimes there is a relationship between an audience member and a performer, but I know who the performers are - Did you feel like you were looking at your own show?

Sam Petersson (dancer): Yeah, the confusion part – you become hyperaware, everything you question, like the truck sounds during the humming – I thought that might be part of it. I thought you (Noemie) had piped in that sound. You become hyper aware.

ZS (D): As a performer as well, in a smaller group I feel like I’m performing for everyone. But because it was so full, my circle of influence was a lot smaller. I was quite content to perform for a couple of people. People around me had no idea I was there, until they turned around then I was there to interact with. The one on one made people extra aware and feel more special.

A: It’s hard to have intimacy in many dance performances, but because of the nature of the piece of the large group and curiosity you got intimacy. And have that kinesthetic feeling (especially during the running)

A: It was most magical before we were moving all together, you really didn’t know what was going to happen and felt on edge – I felt more participatory in that moment than later on

NL: Since it wasn’t working last week, and we got feedback saying they wanted more one on one, and my intention was not to instruct the audience at all –but that didn’t work. It really depends on what is presented - there was a lot more dance in the last one, and that affects the relationship – What we’re doing now is what you could do – I decided to push that, I told the dancers, we’re going to ask them, and if they haven’t participated in the end then they will. We’ll push it all the way to the end, but then I might fix that – it’s becoming more balanced. There’s some initiative from the audience and dancers, but the door is kind of open and then things happen. But I’d like to bring it to the point of where you can donate aesthetically and allow your imagination to produce what you can see potentially happening in the piece. Is that happening?

A: At one point, Natalie and I decided to go as two, as opposed to just one and invent our own scenario and words – but there were no words to say, and we invented it to get in without instruction.

A: It brings up either a rebel or following rules and as soon as Fabio asked what group are you in, and of course I could have just joined a group, but I wanted the personal invitation to be told what to do. And so it really brings up the kind of person you are and our impulse and reaction, and I wanted to follow the rules and be invited.

A: I wanted to participate in everything, I wanted to do all sorts of things, but I didn’t want to mess up the performance or disappoint and it takes a lot of courage to just go off and start doing something - Is Noemie going to be bummed out if I just begin doing this thing?, But I wanted to – the desire was really strong.

A: Likewise, I found myself starting to participate early but feeling like I shouldn’t do too much, because I didn’t want to take the attention from the real performance, til later when all the barriers went away, but in the beginning there’s a question of how much is too much and I knew it was a participation event and that you could do everything, but you still wonder – it makes you look at yourself, like you were saying follow rules or break them?

A: Our organic impulse to do something – it was different than being tapped and go down, and I had an organic impulse to do things but I didn’t want to mess things up and if something happens I either had to be part of the group or rebel, and that was a different impulse – am I going to do what this person is saying and participate or am I going to follow my impulses? I might want to make this crazy sound, but I was really scared to do that. But when I was told what to do, whatever it was, I felt like that was less of an organic impulse.

NL: At first week, we were moving the audience around and heard them – because we were trying they didn’t want to, but this week everyone is being heard-ed too much, and people naturally heard – the section where we enter the audience was in one place and we’d form the lines, people were following us and so we weren’t able to make the lines – the conditioning as we go along, people are getting the license to participate and they assume they have to do everything we do.

There’s a shift in the show, and at first it’s great because you don’t know then you see the leaders, and a strong influence the dancers can have without instruction and reassurances, like a stare or a touch because they have a strong communication – and you get intimate at first, the crew is identified, you become willing to obey and you can play with that energy and make it a part of the performance. Because in the beginning you are introduced then you’re ready to enjoy and play.

Fabio Tavares DaSilva (Dancer): Last week we were trying so hard to get the audience to move, and if we were speaking then we had to speak louder and use more energy – please move!! This week is much gentler and so much easier to get you to move around with us, we gained your confidence early on, and we gained your trust and it becomes so much less work. Now, the gentler approach can be way more

SP (D): To add, as a performer we weren’t putting as much energy, but we had to let things be and have an intention so we were doing something but everyone was doing it as well

FTD (D): You guys – the couple sometimes I looked and said that’s Omar and Dages, but they blend so well in the performance until the end.
Is there something you would like to see happen that would bring it to another participation level?

A: I don’t ever participate, and if you would have told me an hour ago that I’d be moving around and dancing I would have said you’re crazy. But it was the gentle intention and it makes you feel like you’re either going to rebel or not, but then you think what the hell – you do it.

NL: I was trying to establish that you’re looking right and to the left and to the right and the left right is a result of you moving – did you feel that connection?

FTD (D):I was charmed by the fact that it didn’t align the movement. The changing back and forth – sometimes aligned and other times - it stopped making sense. That was a turning point in the whole piece, the enrollment of the audience, everyone felt like they had permission, because the performers were making eye contact and chanting and moving and encouraging and it became like a dancing chanting moment and after it felt like everything was easy.

NL: That’s a good cue – good to know.

A: At some point you had dancers really interacting one by one intensely and intentionally and I was wondering did you ask what other thing could be done? How could another dancer do to also pull and engage another 10 or 12 people to be also engaging another one person?

NL: A second generation to engage the audience…

A: But in a way it remains one on one, but I don’t know how to do it.

A: But you can come again right? I saw that in the email like ooh, and now I know the dancers – there’s a lot, If I saw it a second time then I would know. Is that true?

NL: Yes, In the program it says you can come back for free, and bring your program and ticket – so you won’t know all the cues but you’ll be initiated.

A: The turning point, at left right left, turned into trust – I felt very suspicious like ooh who’s the performer and who’s not - don’t come to me yet I’m not ready. But then it became comfortable to participate in

NL: From our perspective, we began doing this left, right, left thing was something we did as a show, like choreographing with the intention you can change it and doing it with people it becomes so different – and last week we did the same but without intention, well we were hoping people would do it but of their own, and we were doing it like a song and music and nobody was joining.

A: At many times I felt like I wanted to, but I didn’t feel like I was getting a chance, I kept feeling pushed – as if I didn’t have much freedom to gather a chance to come in. I’m sorry…

NL: More time? No no no, We love to have negative feedback we want to know what’s going on.

A: I’m happy and enjoying by trying to put the audience and enjoying, but how much freedom do you really keep for the audience – do they have the chance to say no, or change? Because after you say you want them to grow and be initiated, but how many chances to we have

A: That’s also a question that comes back to us – how much freedom to we have is in our minds…

A: I have the chance to go in, and I watch myself and try to figure out why I am moved or not and I appreciate it. But at some moments I think – no no don’t come to me

NL: There are options, the walking around - you don’t have to do it, but there are chances…

A: Would it be possible that some audience get into doing something that the dancers pick it up and bring it further – from the audience.

A: The timing is key, I feel the performers keep watching, but I don’t get the chance to put my opinion in before they move in. I only have the option to follow or say no.

NL: I’m wondering how much time do we have to give you to get the idea and get warmed up, and then go and It’s so long it feels like the idea is done.

A: After you say each time the show is changed, but it depends on who is your next audience. But if you change the next show from 5 minutes

A: Problem is we are 20 dancers trying to figure out when to move on, but we can change the way we call the cues. We might call the cues live, and move us to the next thing.

A: We talked about how long each idea takes a certain amount of time to click – The volume raising took longer to click than the L shape. That was an instant.
I was pulling it back to the timing and whether you want to be in it or not.

A: There was a moment, the humming where people were looking was so strong and I wanted to join in and it felt like people were joining in. If it’s timed on a single cue, but I understand that it shifts on how the performers shift. I felt like that was early after people stood up and was strong

A: The faster it doesn’t have to be looking at someone, but it opens up doors…

A: The humming was so magical because we weren’t all on the same page yet. And once you could see everything, it lost some interesting qualities to me – maybe keeping it so not everyone can see it at the same time would add some vitality.

Heather Hammond (Dancer): The bigger the group, the more time everything takes – the longer it takes to build trust and then when the audience is invited to be free it may have to happen later once trust is established and in a smaller group that will happen sooner than a bigger group.

A: The trust curve isn’t like that – it’s not us getting more and more comfortable. It’s not like that - at one point it was a real insecurity and I decided okay let’s go – and the dancer gave me something and it was amazing.

NL: And that depends on each individual – each person is different…

HH: But I don’t think we can get the audience to start initiating things within 5 minutes, We can get the audience to feel comfortable enough and understand the game – but for the audience to create something they have to do that later they need a specific and special invitation. It reminds me of break dancing crews, someone goes in busts a few moves and then comes back, and someone else does. That type of nonverbal or verbal invitation or instruction, the audience needs the cue if you go we’ll follow.

A: No No, That’s the freedom, I choose whatever or who is the initiator – That may not be a performer, I can follow the audience. I don’t need to wait for an audience member to do something. I’m already here and that is the initiative. If you have the patience to wait for me, I will do something.

HH (D): And if we designate a specific time to follow the audience then it doesn’t have to be so formal…

A: Different little things can happen in other places and you don’t have to wait for the whole audience to do the one thing…

NL: It’s hard to know what to do that we can ride on because we don’t know what they are going to do – They may not do anything

A: It feels like it all about the discomfort of not knowing what is going to happen next or who is going to do something is there, but the pleasure of just having a moment with the dancers and a chance to look. If you want the audience to participate more, just return to right left right because they know the game, and asking people to come back will know the game and will join in.
But, it feels like you don’t really want that, because you could make that happen if you had shaped that to allow that sort of freedom you’re talking about. Really, we’re being very polite because we know that there’s a conception you have about the subliminal space about who the performer is and who’s not. But not that much happens, so it’s surprising when the company finally does something organized and then it’s suddenly it’s over. And we’re like but wait wait - are we going to get to do stuff and get freedoms? And then just return to right, left, right, and then we’ll do it and now we know that we could initiate. Out of respect that we don’t mess with it –

NL: Makes sense - we have to demystify that point…

A: Only if you want to – or stay in the mystery. Right now it’s about the in-between place and tolerating not being in the in-between place and tolerating not having a performance given to us nor given the freedom to become fully a part of a break dance or your world. It’s not as if we’re really shaping it with you yet – it’s very indirect right now.

NL: That’s very helpful – Insightful and detailed, Thank you. So informative!
Thank you so much! Enjoy the movies and the drinks!