With The Process, Kyla Ernst-Alper and Maxx Passion invite people into the process of creating dance, asking them to first leave their hang-ups at the front door - literally - before entering a space where dancers build and then modify movement vocabulary based on word and object inspirations selected by the audience on the spot.

 

The Process runs in 4 minute loops; the guidelines are consistent, but the performances are infinitely different. The audience is free to move around the performance space, and may enter and exit the performance whenever they feel ready to do so.

 

“what’s holding you back?”

Before entering the performance space, visitors encounter a clothesline filled with hang-ups sourced from emails and tweets. There are blank tags, pens, and an invitation to add personal hang-ups to the line. Once every 4 minutes, a dancer or dancers walking through this space silently read a random note and convert it into a brief, subtle movement phrase.

 

inspiration -> creation

After exploring the reasons why people don’t take action, and leaving personal hang-ups at the door, the audience then experiences the joy of the process. Dancers open themselves up to the vulnerable experience of being intimately observed while choreographing based on unplanned feedback. The dancer has 4 minutes in total: s/he starts by selecting an inspiration and then systematically builds a movement phrase in the first 2 minutes, and then evolves the movement in the following 2 minutes. Individuals are able to influence the choreography as it is being created and riffed on by choosing words and objects that will serve as prompts for the dancer.

 

The Process was first performed on September 7th, 2013 in building 5A on Governors Island in NYC as part of the Governors Island Art Fair. This project can be modified to be performed at a wide range of facilities and for audiences of all ages. If you're interested in presenting The Process, send us an email!

 

The Process was conceived by Kyla Ernst-Alper and Maxx Passion with significant help from dancers Meladonna, Larry Daniels, and Hunt Parr. The project was developed at Witkem House in Brooklyn and at Spin The Bottle in New York City.