Separately Together: A dance film connecting artists from across the country

Murphy, Nina

Publication

Separately Together: A dance film connecting artists from across the country

Murphy, Nina

Description

Life can change in an instant and great artists know that the best way to move forward is to adapt. The original direction for this project, Antrieb (German, translated as ‘drive’), was a 12-member cast consisting of four sections: a large group, a solo, a vertical duet, and the entire cast. The original project looked at the teachings of Laban and his category of Effort. The accompanying music was created by Andrew Murphy, brother of the choreographer, addressing similar personal reflections after experiencing a life-threatening accident. The change in lifestyle and precautions due to COVID-19 meant that the project could not be presented as envisioned. In response, the project’s title became Separately Together, reflecting our altered reality. Created as a dance film rather than a live performance. In the project’s revised form 34 dancers from across the country created small phrases inspired by movement conceived for the original project. Groups of five to six dancers were connected through movement by duplicating dancer’s phrases in a seamless transition from one dancer to the next. The revised project was then presented on The University of Wyoming Theatre and Dance Facebook page as a watch party with a following live stream discussion. This paper will include information collected during the preparation phase, explanation of the original project, the adaptation and logistics of the current project, and the marketing of the current project.