Biting the Stone from Inside

Biting the Stone from Inside

Performance, January 21st, 2016

Center for Performance Research, Brooklyn, NY

Duration: 45 minutes

Choreography and concept by Sidney B. Russell

Developed in collaboration with, and performed by James Lovell, Corey Bauer and Lily Bo Shapiro

Supported by Chez Bushwick

Videography by Center for Performance Research

Thank you to Kirsten Kapustik for her amazing support

By assembling movement, sound and speech, BITING THE STONE FROM INSIDE was both a formal exploration of the shape and texture of words, as well as a direct presentation of Garifuna- a vital and yet vulnerable language. Words spoken in Garifuna by James Lovell were woven together with movement phrases performed by the dancer Lily Bo Shapiro. My choreography was an articulation of negative space, the perceived emptiness surrounding the dancer’s body. The live sounds of Lily’s movement and James’ voice were amplified, modulated, and expanded by musician Corey Bauer. The performance began with clear communication, and progressed toward abstraction as words and movement converged.