Stine Janvin & Ula Sickle Lorem Ipsum
Deconstructing social distancing and club culture
A new collaboration between vocalist Stine Janvin and choreographer Ula Sickle, Echoic Choir evokes the ritual of coming together on a dance floor around music in the late hours of the night. Relying on the power of acoustic voices and spatial resonance, the project aims to create a collective and immersive sensorial event, by placing the performers and the audience in a shared space, like a rave or nightclub. Sound, choreography and the visual aspects of the work, such as light, create a strong synesthetic experience for the audience.
While society is gradually opening back up, the new reality brought about by the Covid19 pandemic is still present in our bodies and minds. Echoic Choir was made during the pandemic, for the pandemic, taking on 'physical distancing' rules as artistic parameters. But what initially was meant to be an abstract echo of a sweaty club, is becoming a memory of the pandemic itself; a time marked by longing for closeness and togetherness. While the notion of an intimate dance floor is still a distant memory for many, Echoic Choir stages the setting and sensations of a physically distanced party. Inviting new perspectives on the meaning of social gatherings and collectivity during a global crisis, where one is encouraged to stay isolated. The music is a patchwork of interlocking rhythms, hockets and words coming from the performers' voices and bodies as they breathe, sing and move. Worn like a second skin, their collective sweat drips from their latex outfits. The spectators’ presence adds a level of density to the space, blending together with the performers, they embody a new kind of communal ritual.
ARTISTIC PROFILE
Concept, composition: Stine Janvin
Concept, choreography: Ula Sickle
With: Roman Ole, Sidney Barnes, Stine Janvin, Ula Sickle (originally with Michelle Cheung, Rishin Singh, and Annalise van Even)
Libretto, Dramaturgy: Persis Bekkering
Costumes: Wang Consulting
Lights: Marcel Weber (MFO), Ofer Smilansky
Sound: Olivia Oyama, Raphaël Hénard
Research: Amanda Barrio Charmelo, Lisa Vereertbrugghen
Shuffle steps: Harrison and Hlyan Graphic
Design: D-E-A L
Coproduction: Wiener Festwochen, MUNCH (Oslo), STUK House for Dance, Image and Sound (Leuven), Dampfzentrale Bern with the support of the Flemish Community, the Flemish Community Commission, DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Programme Residencies Kunstenwerkplaats (Brussels), DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Programme, Dampfzentrale Bern
Executive production, diffusion: Future Works
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