ROTATOR

ROTATOR is a relatively abstract dance with no literal content.  I have set various versions of it on various colleges and academies; the very first version (Section 3) I set all the way back in 1987 with Desert Dance Theatre.  The piece keeps developing, as much of it is based on a mathematical structure that requires each dancer to fulfill a set of instructions about the act of rotation.  Thus the dance moves (especially in the 3rd section) change from cast to cast.

In the work I am also exploring these notions I have of "messy" movement: of chaos and complexity: how to get a sense of aliveness and spontaneity, rich detail and nuance, and opportunities for the dancers to play a bit in each performance while still hitting their marks?

The version seen on video here is performed with dancers from the Five College Dance Department in Amherst, Massachusetts.  The video backgrounds were designed by video artist Evan Marsh, before I knew about projection-mapping or the kinds of technology which I now use.  For this version, three different projectors worked the imagery for the screens: I'm anxious to try this again with more modern technology.

The images on the screens take place in windows: In Section 1, the movement and mages are seen at a 90 degree angle; in Section 2, the movement is an exploration of 180 degree rotations (meaning often upside down); in Section 3, the original section, 360 degree rotations in each of the body's joints create the patterns.