Daniele Albanese_Compagnia Stalker Flow vs Form: Words and Maps

During this residency I would like to deepen my research on the “in-between movement”. I will alternate my individual research with moments of sharing practices with other people.

The work will have a choreographic approach as well as a movement oriented approach. From a choreographic point of view I will investigate the setting of movement material in untraditional ways, finding a new balance between the ability of repeating and the unpredictable. In order to investigate further the strong connection between verbal words and the language of movements, my “choreographic writing” will develop alongside poetic writing, thus leading to the creation of short texts. A movement oriented approach will lead me to look for motors of movements with the aim of creating a dialogue between form and energy.

Residency blog posts

Maps of a Garden

I am having as reference right now a few practices and techniques.

Alexander technique and the primary control (the relation head neck and back).

Shiatsu – the meridians and energy points – a very sophisticated energetic map.

and some other practices about areas of the body and energy.

All these look at the body as flow.

Movement seems a consequence of dealing with this primary sources within the body.

Movement is not only a motion in space but a transformation.

I am working on two projects both at a very early stage.

A long time process solo where I build a structure of work dealing directly with points in the body and in space.

a Duet (without me being on stage) where I use movement as a tool to increase energy in the body and in space.

Looking back at the history of my work:

it all depends on meeting – other people, collaborators, ideas – so again Words.

The map is not this garden.

Sometimes a map helps you experiencing a garden.

Post n.2

So – sometimes I have the impression while thinking working researching not to progress anywhere.

This happens mostly when I focus on one aspect only. I am realizing that my work in the last year have become more complex:

I am working on artistic projects / performances but I am also writing a book and soon it will be out the the first edition of a Festival in my own town in Italy where I am artistic director.

More and more I am interested in other’s artists biographies, in how they see themselves in the performing art context and more in general in society. A lot of what I do is about balancing different aspects.

Next posts probably more ‘technical’ on artistic research.

Right now what triggers me:

A lot of dance going on all around – still dance is quite a flexible definition, a sort of floating signifier somehow.

Often in this situations: an overexposed dance and a floating signifier make dominant power (whatever this is or means) wants to possess the floating signifier, freezing it: this is dance.

Other observation probably umplified by social media:

The choreographer is a sort of constant transmitter’ – he should not stop transmitt in order to be.

The Controversial Necessity of Words

So, here at last, I am writing my first post.

My intention was to write much more from the very start but this is what happens when we plan ahead too much.

Words have been always very important to me and have gone along with choreographic projects, sometimes helping the process sometimes overlapping with it.

It was 8 months of no training – my very first period of no training since I am a child, this was somehow interesting:

as an Alexander Teacher I have learnt the importance of non doing what is habitual.

Being in this state for the first time has been also scary and challenging during this first 10 days of residency.

So I have been trying to get back to physical work. A lot of what I am looking for – a somehow closed and open structure – can be found only when I am in a good communication with myself and my body as well – even when I am not performing myself my way of reading a work or creating one is surely much more refined when I am here instead of trying too hard to be.

The Alexander technique would say: stop end gaining.

I am trying to find ways to work on myself in my daily practice without limiting myself too much – finding a bridge between what I know and what is new.

During these days I am observing that I prefer shifting from one point of view to another, from one discourse to another – in order not to trap myself too much by myself.

I am shifting between my studies of -shiatsu and the meridians- to Alexander Technique and I am trying to make it simple.

I am far from the creation of a system but I am looking for words to communicate with others what I find.

Still my faith in words and communication is not that great at the moment – not sure anything can be really taught, at the end we are our own teachers.

Words help me having a reference, a sort of map and probably an order of discourse.

I do not want to get in details right now, and I do find them boring.

I am just starting a little writing here that can help me track where I am right now and actually by the end of this short text I do have a couple of choreographic ideas I do want to try. Although I am not in ‘creation’ right now I am working on finding some new ways of describing reality and therefore to set -material that can not be set-. This writing does not say anything but goes along with the process. I do not write what I find but I find it through the writing.

It is all for today.