Chihuly (part of the museum’s permanent collection), next to the flowing water of a shallow pool, and amidst the reflections of surrounding glass. Musician and dancer brought both disciplines together to wordlessly negotiate the performance, honoring the fluidity and wave-like phrasings shared through musical notation, choreography and breath. The inner play of music and dance through the visual imagery of water required softening of boundaries between disciplines, attention to the similarities inherent in each performer, and a common spirit of exploration among the performers. Metamorphoses comes from the Greek word for 246 transformation. The concept of transformation can be organic, metaphysical, or musical. Meta can mean with, between, or after. All definitions are appropriate for this collaboration. Musically, the word refers to the transformation of a musical figure or idea into a rhythmically or melodically altered repetition of the original. Choreography shares this definition. The body is capable of manifesting an idea in both rhythmic and melodic ways.
playing musical notes smoothly and connectedly). Breath itself is a liquid experience. A dancer uses breath to shape the body, to create phrasing in the movement, and to produce the image of fluidity, a qualitative mode of physical dynamics. For a musician, the phrasing of notes on the page may also be interpreted through fluid and liquid imagery as the wavelike motion of the notes creates the melody. Fluids in the body, charged with breath, assist the dancer in crystallizing movement phrases that project clearly articulated ideas. Liquid movement through space is evident as the dancer uses spatial awareness to create visual interest. Her entire body can ride an imaginary wave in space. Bones and muscles ride the liquid action. She can create a
A Liquid Experience Water, dance, music, and breath share qualities of liquidity, fluidity, and legato (an Italian word that translates as “tied together” and refers to
Photo by Andrew Dunn
sense of fluidity by accessing the interplay of bone and muscle supported by the internal liquidity of the body. Elevation and depression of the scapula flow like undulating waves. Carving the body gathers while arcing scatters, much like ocean waves as they gather momentum and splash upon the shore or the rocks. The dancer controls the movements of her arms and legs with these motions. According to Eric Franklin, an internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, fluid motion is inherent in our very structure: “The building blocks of our body, the cells, are both filled and surrounded by fluids. Therefore fluid motion is inherent in our very structure.” He also describes the relationship of breath, flow, and water: “Breath is a very important image intimately connected with movement flow. When the breath stops, so does the flow. Breath creates drama. At the core of body language, breath reflects our state of being. Movement that is supported by a nonrestricted breath flows. Water is the essence of flow. Water flows inside us in various consistencies and chemical makeups. Our breath nourishes the water in us.” Peggy Hackney, a dancer and specialist in body movement, also writes of breath and flow: “Flow is the key to mobility. Breath creates flow in your body. The word ‘flow’ in the English language refers to movement that is characteristic