Analogy for Solid Bones
Created with the generous assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, Live Art Dance Productions (who provided an in-theatre residency), Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Kinetic Studio, Dance Nova Scotia and Halifax Dance.
The premiere of Analogy for Solid Bones was presented October 1-3, 2009 by Live Art Dance Productions, at the Sir James Dunn Theatre, Halifax, Canada.
This work began as a conversation my dad and I had about the beauty of the calls of the loon, after I witnessed a rare meeting of nine loons on a lake in the stillness before the sun had risen. The movement vocabulary was developed based on the behaviours and physicality of the loon. Loons carry their babies on their backs, their wings develop assymetrically, they have solid bones, and legs that are set far along their body, making them excellent divers but awkward walkers. Their social interactions rival our own: they court, they mate for life (although cheating has been reported!), the singles socialize in groups, they are territorial and return to the same lakes to nest and rear their young.
My scientific research into the effects of mercury in the ecosystem lead to further movement insight: when mercury levels increase due to human impact, loons stop carrying their babies on their backs, their vision deteriorates, and they exhibit strange behaviours like excessive preening.
The music was created based on the calls of the loons – the rhythms, textures and melodies were distilled and recreated into a musical score, performed with both analog and synthesized sounds.
The set reflects the tension between nature and culture, a reflection of human impact on the environment; the poetry evolved from these same sources, and from the dance itself.
As the dancers became involved in this process, the focus shifted to the collective experience, and a society began to emerge. A reflection of our own.
Elise Vanderborght, Peter Trosztmer and Jacinte Armstrong in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.
Elise Vanderborght and Peter Trosztmer in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.
Sarah Rozee in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.
Susanne Chui, Jacinte Armstrong, Andrew Turner, and Alicia Orr in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.
Elise Vanderborght, Peter Trosztmer, Jacinte Armstrong, Sarah Rozee, Alicia Orr, Susanne Chui, and Andrew Turner in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.
Sarah Rozee in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.
Elise Vanderborght, Peter Trosztmer, Andrew Turner in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.
Elise Vanderborght, Peter Trosztmer, Jacinte Armstrong, Sarah Rozee, Alicia Orr, Susanne Chui, and Andrew Turner in Lisa Phinney Langley's Analogy for Solid Bones. Photo by Scott Munn.