True power cannot come through worship or rule of another

 

Dance Performance Premiere: “The Beggar and the Bird”
-- Odeon Theater, 8 November 2007

 

Synopsis 

 

The choreography is based on an original story about the search for power. The central character experiences a dilemma of who she is in her world. A once successful woman turns her back on her own image, searching for a new identity and greater power. She attempts to reinvent herself only to stumble into an unknown territory, a vacuum of loneliness and self-doubt. Stripped bare she assumes the role of a beggar.  When she hears the strange song of a bird she becomes enchanted by its power and grace. The bird becomes the beggar's muse. She becomes a puppet on a vocal string and in so doing gives over her power to the bird. However, lust for that power becomes a vengeful dance against her own shadow, performed by Albert Kessler and The Bird performed by Natalie Jean Marain.

 

The Performance Style

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Amber, Natalie and Albert are performers who have found a unique relationship between voice and dance. Through a deep working connection, and improvisation they identified a form of story telling which can arise naturally through patterns of vocal play and movement. Impulses are shared and reciprocated in the form of vocal harmonies, distorted sounds, breath, foot/ body percussion and dance. The improvisations are harnessed into a structure and so that the story remains concise and understandable. Motifs and themes recur through the performance, producing a playful and deeply affecting performance. The end result is a fully choreographed and scored show.