Friday, June 24, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Karen Nelson and K.J. Holmes return to Western Front with the reprisal of their duet Swim/Sea/No See, first performed from 1991-93. What does a redux of an improvisation become after 30 years?
Swim/Sea/No See combines two improvisational forms: Contact Improvisation, a duet dance form based on physical touch, momentum, listening, trust and athleticism which emerged in 1972, making this year the 50th anniversary of its inception; and Tuning Scores, an improvisation and composition practice which involves exposing choreographic opinions through calls and actions as the dancers communicate meaning within the improvisation as it is unfolding. Without sacrificing the primal power and reflexive responses of Contact Improvisation’s play with gravity, momentum and trust, Holmes and Nelson create a cinema of the body; using editing principles gleaned from Tuning Scores, as well as through constant questionings about musicality and the theater of dance.
Following the performance, Nelson and Holmes will share early video renditions of Contact Improvisation and earlier clips from Swim/Sea/No-See; and engage in an artist talk-back.