Category Archives: Blog
← Older posts Newer posts →Dancing with Annie, Isabella and Wanjiru: Walthamstow Wetlands Residency
September 22, 2018Dancing as a quartet made us more visible, more clearly an ‘event’. I loved that some of the security guards stopped to watch our dancing, filming us and engaging in conversation about what we were doing. Our number also multiplied the energy of the dancing in a way that I couldn’t have achieved on my own read more…
Posted in Blog | Tagged Walthamstow Wetlands Residency | Leave a commentDancing with Annie Hanauer: Walthamstow Wetlands Residency
September 11, 2018It was particularly useful for me to have to explain to someone else the process of working I use and take for granted in my dancing on the Wetlands. This has less to do with how to move than where to put one’s attention, to notice the external/internal stimuli and impulses that might then manifest as movement or transformations of our bodies. And it was such a pleasure to be able to share the work with such a receptive and intelligent movement expert.
Here’s a long dance we made on the slope of Lockwood Reservoir. It goes from being a solo, to a duet, to a quintet when young men happen on us. In fact it’s a symphony of sensations and references, human and non-human that animate our interaction read more…
Posted in Blog | Leave a commentMicroRainbow: Walthamstow Wetlands Residency
July 23, 2018I’ve been aware from the outset that the Wetlands is a sanctuary and a refuge, for humans and non-humans, for anglers and walkers and parents and choreographers and, not least, a place for migrant birds. It’s made sense to me therefore to connect my dance workshops for MicroRainbow (who support LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers in the UK) to this residency read more…
Posted in Blog | Leave a commentFootpath closed: Walthamstow Wetlands Residency
July 23, 2018This video sketch shows that it’s not only the non-human wildlife that influences how I can move around: this footpath is closed because of Thames Water work on one of the reservoirs. Though you can’t here the drilling in so loudly, you can catch a glimpse of the loud orange-uniformed workers through the fencing, as well as the ducks getting on with their bobbing in the adjacent water. read more…
Posted in Blog | Leave a commentTrump Flies Over: Wetlands Residency
July 23, 2018I was working outdoors on the Lockwood Reservoir when instead of the usual bird-life passing over, I noticed a big black helicopter buzzing from the horizon. I later discovered that the helicopter was carrying Trump from Stansted to central London. read more…
Posted in Blog | Leave a commentFly in Focus: Walthamstow Wetlands Residency
June 27, 2018Here’s a short video where the autofocus of my camera gives priority to the fly that happens to be buzzing in front of the lens rather than to the human who happens to be dancing in the background. My relatively … read more…
Posted in Blog | Tagged Walthamstow Wetlands Residency | 1 CommentNoticing the infrastructure: Walthamstow Wetlands
June 9, 2018It’s easy to focus on the wildlife in the Wetlands but there is a built infrastructure of varying vintages that has made the Wetlands the place it is and continues to shape how human and non-human, organic and inorganic meets … read more…
Posted in Blog | Tagged Walthamstow Wetlands Residency | Leave a commentQuiet dances: Walthamstow Wetlands
May 16, 2018I’ve be trying out quiet dancing – dances in the open space that don’t make undue noise – a dancing that I feel is co-choreographed by the requirements of the environment and its non-human inhabitants. Of course I bring my own movement history and habits to this environment, but I’m enjoying the sense that there are other choreographers in this process too. read more…
Posted in Blog | Tagged Walthamstow Wetlands Residency | Leave a commentRefuge: Finding my place on Walthamstow Wetlands
May 16, 2018One of the themes of my residency is refuge and I’ve been wondering where my refuge is on the site. I want people to feel that my work there is as natural and/or surprising as the Thames Water workers or the flora and fauna outside. And it’s also important to acknowledge that as a human I need a place to shelter, to rest, to prepare, to process. read more…
Posted in Blog | Tagged Walthamstow Wetlands Residency | Leave a commentBeginning my Residency at Walthamstow Wetlands
May 16, 2018The notion of hospitality already implies that the host has territory, property and resources to be able to offer hospitably to others. Therefore, the borders that separate self and other, familiar and stranger are also a necessity to the ethical relationship of hospitality. read more…
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