Above Deep Waters

Four dancers in black costumes throw balls made of colored masking tape into the air. The floor is saturated with lines of all colors made with tape.
Four dancers in black costumes throw balls made of colored masking tape into the air. The floor is saturated with lines of all colors made with tape.
Seven dancers in black costumes throw balls made of colored masking tape into the air. The floor is saturated with lines of all colors made with tape.
Seven dancers in black costumes throw balls made of colored masking tape into the air. The floor is saturated with lines of all colors made with tape.
Three dancers interlock their fingers and raise their bodies in an energetic gesture. The floor is saturated with lines of all colors made with tape.
Three dancers interlock their fingers and raise their bodies in an energetic gesture. The floor is saturated with lines of all colors made with tape.
A dancer sitting on the floor holds a solemn gesture, both hands in the shape of a spoon, one on top of the other. On the floor, there are green and yellow lines made with tape.
A dancer sitting on the floor holds a solemn gesture, both hands in the shape of a spoon, one on top of the other. On the floor, there are green and yellow lines made with tape.

“Above Deep Waters” intertwines choreographic movement with sound and tactile art. The performance meditates on the meaning and symbolism of color beyond its visual content. It is designed for Blind, Low Vision and Visually Impaired audiences.

I was deeply interested in Hofmann’s practice of creating extravagant, unexpected and (at times) absurd titles for his paintings. These titles were the inspiration for the Audio Description that accompanies the choreography. The text was written and spoken by the dancers.

Simultaneously to the movement and voice, the dancers designed a composition on the floor with colored tape. Audiences were invited to touch the composition at the end of the performance.

“Above Deep Waters” is commissioned by Battery Dance Company and generously supported by the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust.

Costume Description

The dancers wear a charcoal-colored cotton coverall with several pockets.

Installation Description

The dancers design a visual and tactile composition using colored tape. The green tape makes a zig-zag shape. The yellow tape makes three triangles: equilateral, isosceles and scalene. The brown tape makes a circle in the center of the space. The red tape makes a square in the left half of the stage. The blue tape makes various shapes through the space with curved and abstract lines. Dozens of colored balls made of tape surround the stage. These balls are made with the tape that is removed from the composition at the end of each rehearsal. A video with black subtitles and white background is projected on the back wall, including the spoken text of the Audio Description that accompanies the choreography.

Credits

  • Choreographer: Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez
  • Sound Designer: Alfonso Castro
  • Dancers: Sarah Housepian, Vivake Khamsingsavath, Jillian Linkowski, Sara Seger, Sean Scantlebury, Randall Riley, Razvan Stoian
  • Audio Description: Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez and dancers
  • Costume Designer: Patti Gilstrap
  • Photography: Claudio Rodriguez