Nell Breyer and Kinodance Company at Cloud Place

Cloud Foundation ( Back Bay )

the cloud foundation hosted us and Nell Breyer in informal presentation and preview of work -- there were many technological problems and we were thankful for such a patient audience willing to wait around for us to
- fix the sound problem
- place and replace the projector
- locate proper cables and adapters
- reconfigure the entire seating arrangement because of light leaking into the space

at the end of it I announced quite calmy and honesty "I hate technology"

some questions about movement came up:
why the use of slow motion?

the most interesting discussion was about how kinodance is applying film theory to the making of dances - as a structural tool. we are more and more fascinated with this idea and are looking forward to developing our work more to see what else can be discovered thru this method.

I am curious to hear your thoughts on the use of "slow motion" in your work.

As an audience member, slow movement quality encourages me to pay attention to the evolution of patterns and structures as they develop over time. Like watching the shifting shadows cast on a forrest floor by a steadily descending sun, slowing the movement of both bodies and film draws my eye to subtle details in the shifting composition.

Are there practical constraints informing this movement quality (i.e. the need to arrive arrive at a specific physical location on the stage in order to interact with a projected image, etc.)?

PS: As one of your dancers poignantly said last night, indifference is the opposite of love, whereas hate holds a great deal of concern and interest. Along those lines, I hope your hate will continue to foder your persistent investigations and explorations of this form.

great comments.

i heard bill viola interviewed on npr recently - he was asked about the use of slow motion in his video works and his answer was right on - slowing down time gives the viewer a chance to capture the lost details of a scene. so much is lost in human experience because things just happen too fast. i'd be interested to hear your comments on this from the perspective of neuroscience. viola used the example of a glass breaking -- the naked eye cannot conceive the detail but when slowed down you reveal this incredible ballet.

i am sometimes battling the use of the body for objectives (jump higher, turn faster, gesture sharper, stop dead) i love virtuosic dancing but i also want to give a chance for "being moved" vs. "moving" -- and i find that you have to slow down to tow that line. on the most basic level - slow motion is simply about manipulating time.