SINecdoche Dance Company needed a tall dancer.

I received a call last week from a soft and sweet voice explaining that she needed a tall dancer for an upcoming performance July 8, 9 and 10. Per the recommendation of a mutual friend, I was invited to be a part of Work : Dance : Display.

Knowing absolutely nothing about the work or the dancers (except from what I read in their bio's online), I jumped into rehearsal curious as to what I would be doing. I was accepted immediately as if I had been a part of the group already, and had no troubles being myself. After rehearsal I was still very curious about what the piece was about, but we were hard at work and there was little time to chit-chat.

I had a sense that there was something about the dancer's process that was being revealed to the viewers. I found myself in the middle of a run of the work as my partner, Aya, and I were talking out loud on purpose during the piece. We weren't talking from a script, but literally speaking to each other dancer to dance-maker as we put together a phrase in the middle of the section. Later on I was told there would be photos of us posted throughout the space for the audience to look at during the performances. I started to think that this piece was about dance and it's various layers/processes...

The following day, I got the invite for Work : Dance : Display via facebook, and found a short description of the work:

Singapore-born choreographer Belinda He challenges conventional audience expectations, etiquette and participation in her first full-length work, Work : Dance : Display by offering her dancers up to be viewed at varying levels of objectification. She invites audience members to question their own levels of interaction with the artwork that is placed in front of them. The dancers are variously seen as art objects on display, artists honing their crafts and dance-makers deep in their creative processes. Photographs of dancing bodies in rehearsal line the walls of the gallery space where audience members first encounter the dancer-exhibitions. As the piece progresses, the space itself slowly transforms into a stage, on which the identities of artists, art makers and art viewers conflate. Ms. He presents dance as she desires to experience it: in the trenches, involving all senses for a deep, visceral appreciation.

As you can imagine, it promises to be an amazing and thought provoking experience. I look forward to working with these ladies more throughout this work and getting to know Work : Dance : Display. Check out the facebook event, SINedoche's website, and buy tickets to this unique experience. Hope to see you all there!

Thanks again to you ladies who welcomed me into your space without hesitation!!