waves

with waves I want to explore IMPROVISATION as PERFORMANCE practice. Together with jazz musiscian Alessio Isgró I am currently experimenting concepts and structures transferred from music to set frames for aerial movement improvisations. We are establishing a bodymindset for mutual listening to be able to organically shift leading and following roles, giving space to solos and accompany the other, like musicians do in jazz.

Waves as topic to work on sparked our interest for various reasons. Amongst others for some special features: waves have agogic patterns – means they have naturally slightly changing tempos, not fixed, robotic ones. And according to scientific physics, what we call a wave is actually not the water travelling long distances, but pure energy that is moving through the medium of water.

Waves can be gentle swaying or brute force. We find parallels in our collaboration, in which the pure energy, the feelings communicated by music waves trigger movements in the performers body. A jazz mindset for entering improvisation will include a non-verbal negotiation. A continuously shifting of the leading and following roles will give space for solos, and the accompagniment can never stop – the beat must go on, as well as the show!

the project is in the very beginning – more information will follow soon!

when tough times come your way, you really only have two options. You can either fight the waves or you can ride them. You can spend all of your energy wishing things were different and wishing that situations and people would change. You can spend your precious time fighting against reality and all that is – or you can let go and ride the waves. You can soften. You can accept that life brings waves, and some waves will be undoubtedly wonderful but others will be incredibly tough. My lovely friend, I hope you learn to ride your waves.

Nikki Banas