this solo - 2015 — Neil Greenberg

this solo

2015

1 dancer

8 min

I made this solo as an exploratory study as I was gearing up to start on a new group work, and performed a draft of the study in January 2014 at Catch, a multidisciplinary performance series curated by Andrew Dinwiddie, Caleb Hammons and Jeff Larson. In a departure from my usual M.O. I began by devising some material “from scratch” - as opposed to exclusively learning sequences from videotaped improvisations. I threw in a bit of Nutcracker toy soldier choreography I performed as a child, as well as a verbatim recreation of my first filmed dance improvisation, shot by my father as I danced around the living room as a test of his new super 8 camera with my older siblings sitting in the back (and paying no attention to what must have been a fairly regular occurrence).

I was casting about for processes and materials that might serve as both jumpstart for a new project and intervention to send me working a bit differently. I was also looking to come to a new understanding of myself as a dancer and performer in my fifties.

Premiered January 12, 2015 at Movement Research at the Judson Church .

Credits

Choreographed and Performed by: Neil Greenberg

Music by: Steve Roden, symbol/cymbal

Costume by: James Kidd Studio

Videography by Victoria Sendra at Movement Research at the Judson Church on January 12, 2015

Additional links:

Neil’s first filmed dance improvisation, 1965