There’s an emotional fluidity that gets shared between the two partners in a unique and refreshing way... you can see those moments of intimacy begin long before the piece is on stage.
Addie: I recently saw Al Pacino live in Houston. While Pacino spoke about his interest in performing from the unconscious, he said something very interesting about dancers. Pacino is known for his training in Method Acting, a technique where actors create within them the emotions needed for their roles. Pacino said that dancers train their body so hard each day so that when they get on stage, they can just go. Over the past weeks I’ve been watching the rehearsals of Dominic’s latest creation, performed by Domenico Luciano and Stefania Figliossi. What Pacino said resonated with my experience witnessing the subconscious exploration that dancers embody in studio and on stage.
Dominic: I create works in many ways depending on the nature of the work. At times I create the steps on my own body, with a firm structure of spatial composition and music and where everything will fall. Another way I enjoy working is when the dancers respond more as collaborators, and together we discover movement vocabulary and psychological or emotional intent. In duets, this is particularly gratifying due to the equal investment from the artists, but can only be accomplished with subjects who know their bodies and abilities in an unusually profound way. I’ve worked with Domenico Luciano—and I’ve known Stefania Figliossi and her work—since 2005. A benefit to having a company over ten years is that I can rely on the relationships I’ve built over time. Domenico knows my choreographic impulses and can bring more of his own ideas and experiences to the creation to make it a more personal offering. Stefania is exceptional. I have watched her over the years and have worked with her as well. She is a seasoned artist with years of collaborative experience as one of Mauro Bigonzetti’s muses. Domenico and Stefania together are a force to be reckoned with; each with extraordinary pliability, sensitivity and power, and the knowledge to offer the right assistance to accomplish very
intricate tasks. They welcome the challenge and take joy in offering a variety of solutions. But mostly, they share a willingness to explore intimacy that is spontaneous and brave.
Addie: I’ve loved watching Dominic work in the studio since we co-created Victor Frankenstein last February. But it’s different watching Dominic create a work in which I have no active role in the project, so I get to see the full process of conceptualizing, creating, and staging a piece. In Dominic’s duet work I’ve been most moved by the different levels of intimacy that occur within the dance. There’s an emotional fluidity that gets shared between the two partners in a unique and refreshing way. And in watching Dominic create this with Domenico and Stefania, you can see those moments of intimacy begin long before the piece is on stage. It begins in the studio, in what Dominic calls a subconscious authenticity.
A SUBCONSCIOUS
AUTHENTICITY Intimacy + Strength in the Duet by Addie Tsai & Dominic Walsh
They welcome the challenge and take joy in offering a variety of solutions. But mostly, they share a willingness to explore intimacy that is spontaneous and brave.
Dominic Walsh Dance Theater |
www.DWDT.org OriginMagazine.com |
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