Amorphosis (2003)

This dance was the first of an investigation into the psychological and physical issues of control and loss of control through the physical prop augmentations. The dancer is trained extensively in his or her artistic faculty, the body. In Amorphosis and my thesis project the dancer will be working with extensions and prop-designed additions onto his or her known media. For the dancers’ these appendages cause an element of the unknown, and this layered on top of the given choreography causes innate physical and intellectual dilemmas creates an evocative new movement vocabulary that I have named the “scary body”, stunning visual imagery, and layered narrative.

Showing the props or impediments alone gives them a sense of autonomy, stillness in time, the sculptural element. I conceived of the project and the prosthetics were designed and constructed by commercial prop designer James Quilty.