R&D Reading Movement and Writing Dance: The Hotel Experience
How a writer’s perspective can turn dance into immersive storytelling.
When movement delivers poignant storytelling about what it means to be human, dance can leave a lasting impact. Writer Nick Walkers wonders if “text is another bit of the choreography”. Observing dance and crafting language to “fit the dancer’s bodies in a way that feels natural”, Nick allows the dance to speak for itself, before speaking his text.
Nick writes the narrative he sees in the dancers’ actions, as well as producing narrative text for the dancers to dramatise through movement. Discussing his process of writing for dance, he discusses watching the dancers’ creative responses to intentions and ideas, and “remaining alert to how text might work to develop clear storytelling”. Nick explains that “text is another bit of the choreography” as Lîla work towards constructing their narrative.
Nick’s work in producing text and developing narrative is deeply integrated into the company’s choreographic process. “It’s important not to block anything that’s working” says Nick, “some explorations won’t remain appropriate as the work organically expands”, but the as the work evolves “it’s about how the movement also serves as communication”.
Nick’s contribution as an author is about “how text works with the dance, preserving the primary art form, not getting in the way, not just turning dancers into actors who can move really well”. Because of the immersive nature of Lîla’s work, their dancers are required to perform expressively with their entire bodies, and when spoken text emerges as part of the storytelling, the dancers must also express emotion facially and vocally. “Dancers who aren’t necessarily comfortable with acting are often more open to working with authenticity” considers Nick. “Dancers feel they can learn and often work harder” Nick says, describing how the dancers perform his text and convey the narrative.
April 2017 by Lila Rasche
Photo credit: Dougie Evans. Artists/dancers: Nick Walker (dramaturg), Jonathan Mewett & Olivia Paton, Hannah Robinson & Emmy-Lou Wilson, Emmy-Lou wilson, Karl Green
