Acts of Discourse
Acts of Discourse
2003
About
Acts of Discourse is an enquiry into the idea of discourse. This piece is a series of scenes, all based on the idea of encounter. Meeting the other has such impact that it shifts consciousness. The encounters are a woman and a dogfish, a man and a woman, humans and the spirit of a mask and between cultures.
Themes at play in Acts of Discourse are energy, embodiment, image, transformation and mind, impact of worldly forces on the physical body, impact of cultural upon culture and interaction between traditions.
Acts of Disclosure was featured at First Draft, which was a Scotia Dance Centre Vancouver pilot project; a prototype for a kind of performance event that brings new work by senior choreographers into a context of discourse and discussion. These performances were held at the Scotiabank Dance Centre on May 23rd and 24th, 2003.
Prior to this, the piece premiered as a 12-minute duet for Wen Wei Wang and Karen Jamieson at the Suddenly Dance Theatre’s Romp! A Festival of Independent Dance, May 9th and 10th, 2003, in Victoria B.C. This duet reveals some of the significant underlying issues that have made Karen’s work unique over the past 3 decades. This work is a distillation of the discoveries of past years as they are evolving through the current investigations.
The People
Choreography: Karen Jamieson with creative input from Alvin Tolentino and Wen Wei Wang
Dancers: Karen Jamieson, Alvin Tolentino, Wen Wei Wang
Acoustic/Orchestral Music: John Korsrud
Synthesized/Vocal Music: Jeff Corness
Text: Kenneth Harris (Hagbegwatku)
Mask: Sanford Williams
Music Assembly: John Korsrud
Costume Design: Susan Berganzi
Lighting Design/Production Manager: Shane Droucker
Banner photo from The Vancouver Sun, Thursday May 22, 2003.