Live bassoon, dance and a moving encounter with the gallery
For Ad Hoc Dance’s 25th-anniversary project Physical Acts, I joined an adult community dance company at Manchester Art Gallery. Over a weekend in November 2018, the group developed a promenade performance responding to the Speech Acts exhibition.
What we made together
The project brought contemporary dance, live bassoon and works in the collection into conversation. My playing helped lead dancers and audiences through the gallery as part of a shared performance, rather than providing a separate concert alongside it.
Participants did not need previous dance experience. The weekend combined collaborative making with two public performances on the Sunday afternoon.
Project film
Physical Acts — Manchester Art Gallery & Ad Hoc Dance
Film to be added.
What a future partnership could explore
A gallery, museum or cultural venue can become a starting point for music, movement and new ways of encountering a collection. We can plan the route, use of space, staff involvement and rehearsal time together, with room to respond to the people and setting.
Planning something similar?
I welcome conversations about gallery performances, participatory projects and cross-arts collaborations in Manchester, London and elsewhere.
Read the original project invitation · More projects and case studies