Landing - performance at green space

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Here's our tech run for the Green Space Blooms festival, enjoy!

FOH ladies rehearsal

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The famed FOH ladies from on the other side of the glass plate, she wore nothing! We're finally getting this role realized.

The lovely dancers are Meredith Blouin, Chelsea Retzloff, and Anna Wueller.

Landing - rehearsal

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Here's our first full rehearsal with the dancers - Lydia Bell, Christie Newman, and Angela Salvetti. The noise of the heater in the space was so horrible, you couldn't hear David's playing on the video, so I put in a recorded sketch to accompanying the visual. In performance, he'll play live.

We'll be performing Landing on May 2nd as part of the Green Space Blooms Festival, produced by Dance Entropy to highlight Queens artists alongside the company. More info to follow in Spring!

Thanks for watching!

Box Shy - feedback

Click to Play

The choreography for Box Shy is new, so I asked David and Shana for some feedback. This short clip shows you a little bit of that. We also talked about how it can be challenging to jump into performing a work like Box Shy - our run-throughs felt gradually more authentic and refined each time. It will be difficult to find the right mood and energy when performing this at a party where we've been mingling and chatting rather than introspective. David suggested that I take a few minutes to listen to the music before hand, but then we both learned that it is in the performance of it that his music really starts to have that transformative experience, rather than just sitting and listening.

That's an aspect to performance work that excites us, me in particular. Performance asks for a different kind of paying attention (I am intrigued by what that different kind is and why it's useful to our interaction with the greater world around us). For example, other side is only worth watching if the viewer commits to it, meaning that you have to give over to the state of observation that it brings you into.

We'll keep bringing you notes from the field as we investigate how we watch, observe, and see differently.

Box Shy - Esther + David rehearsal

Click to Play

Here's a clip from our recent rehearsal of "Box Shy". David's "on the stage" in this scenario --what's missing is the scroll that creates it.

Check out some of our feedback to each other in the video to follow, "Box Shy notes".

Thanks for watching!

Landing - Party Project, #2

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Here's a sketch of the choreography that will get developed with three dancers in a forest of slinkys...

more thoughts at http://seenperformance.org/blog

Box Shy - Esther rehearsal

Party Project #2 is on hold a bit, as we are preparing Box Shy (Party Project #1) for a party/performance.

After our test run of Box Shy, we worked on shaping up the structure and decided to let the unscrolling of Shana's painting occur in its own time, without me dancing in and out of the box as it was taking shape. This, and I got back in the studio to work with David's music some more, and the movement is taking a new shape. Here is what I choreographed today:

Click to Play

I wanted to retain the importance of the frame from my initial effort which kept me largely on the edges. There's also the confining nature of the box. I prefer to experience it as protective, and in that regard, I decided to emphasize details - small shifts of weight and gesture that can be absorbed from a few feet away.

A question I had for myself is whether there is something edges (I am thinking of 2D edges, but that doesn't limit the thought to them) that helps us see more clearly? More clearly or with more imagination?

"other side" at Art Festival on Pier 36

Here are a few glimpses from performing on the other side of the glass plate, she wore nothing at the Art Festival on Pier 36 last saturday, 9.13.08.

Click to Play

We had a blast with all the interesting art around (look out for our hazmat suit friend who wandered into the piece unannounced). and we learned a number of things about staging it outside for small audiences so we can make some changes for next time.

Performers are Amiti Perry + Jen Painter. other side created by Seen Performance, was first performed March 2008 at Dixon Place in Soho, NY.

Thanks for watching!

Box Shy - Party Project - Test Run

Click to Play

why do we perform?

There are many reasons why we at Seen Performance make performances - here are just a few of them. Enjoy!

Box Shy rehearsal

Here's an excerpt from our rehearsal for Box Shy of The PARTY PROJECT. We added an "audience" since the full set up for this piece has the audience surrounding a box performing area --with four volunteers unscrolling Shana's painting (which you don't see here - check out the "Shana adds a layer" videos for her sketches). David and Esther are both making their performance/composition choices live, though the structure is set.

Click to Play

what is seen performance?

A few words from founding members David Morneau, Esther Palmer, and Shana Burns on what makes them Seen Performance. Enjoy!

Click to Play

Box Shy - the video version

Here David adds the third layer in our round robin collaboration to make the first work of our The PARTY PROJECT. From here we go to the studio to turn this collaboration into a performance.

shana adds a layer - B

Shana brings some animation to our first piece in the PARTY PROJECT. Here is, you guessed it, version.

shana adds a layer - A

Shana's layer to our first piece in the PARTY PROJECT. Here is version A.

Box Shy - The Party Project, #1

While we like musing in the big comfy chair at shana's place (see the what is performance? video), we value showing just as much as talking.

And so... our latest project is PARTY GAMES. And it's in your neighborhood (or your backyard -- invite us to your next party and there we will be!)

We are developing a piece round-robin style, each of us getting 5 days to add a layer and develop the work before we polish it together just in time to share it during a local house party, putting performance into social mingling like any other conversation.

Esther started this round:


I was working in the studio and decided to play with the edges of the frame, using 4 $20 bills to mark the camera's space. I edited this down to draw attention to entering, exiting, and being in the frame. I added voice over to bring out the inner thought process that can go on when I'm making stuff up in the studio.

Thoughts? Questions? Leave us your comments and we'll respond!

what is performance, anyway?

Landing - performance at green space

Click to Play

Here's our tech run for the Green Space Blooms festival, enjoy!

FOH ladies rehearsal

Click to Play

The famed FOH ladies from on the other side of the glass plate, she wore nothing! We're finally getting this role realized.

The lovely dancers are Meredith Blouin, Chelsea Retzloff, and Anna Wueller.

Landing - rehearsal

Click to Play

Here's our first full rehearsal with the dancers - Lydia Bell, Christie Newman, and Angela Salvetti. The noise of the heater in the space was so horrible, you couldn't hear David's playing on the video, so I put in a recorded sketch to accompanying the visual. In performance, he'll play live.

We'll be performing Landing on May 2nd as part of the Green Space Blooms Festival, produced by Dance Entropy to highlight Queens artists alongside the company. More info to follow in Spring!

Thanks for watching!

Box Shy - feedback

Click to Play

The choreography for Box Shy is new, so I asked David and Shana for some feedback. This short clip shows you a little bit of that. We also talked about how it can be challenging to jump into performing a work like Box Shy - our run-throughs felt gradually more authentic and refined each time. It will be difficult to find the right mood and energy when performing this at a party where we've been mingling and chatting rather than introspective. David suggested that I take a few minutes to listen to the music before hand, but then we both learned that it is in the performance of it that his music really starts to have that transformative experience, rather than just sitting and listening.

That's an aspect to performance work that excites us, me in particular. Performance asks for a different kind of paying attention (I am intrigued by what that different kind is and why it's useful to our interaction with the greater world around us). For example, other side is only worth watching if the viewer commits to it, meaning that you have to give over to the state of observation that it brings you into.

We'll keep bringing you notes from the field as we investigate how we watch, observe, and see differently.

Box Shy - Esther + David rehearsal

Click to Play

Here's a clip from our recent rehearsal of "Box Shy". David's "on the stage" in this scenario --what's missing is the scroll that creates it.

Check out some of our feedback to each other in the video to follow, "Box Shy notes".

Thanks for watching!

Landing - Party Project, #2

Click to Play

Here's a sketch of the choreography that will get developed with three dancers in a forest of slinkys...

more thoughts at http://seenperformance.org/blog

Box Shy - Esther rehearsal

Party Project #2 is on hold a bit, as we are preparing Box Shy (Party Project #1) for a party/performance.

After our test run of Box Shy, we worked on shaping up the structure and decided to let the unscrolling of Shana's painting occur in its own time, without me dancing in and out of the box as it was taking shape. This, and I got back in the studio to work with David's music some more, and the movement is taking a new shape. Here is what I choreographed today:

Click to Play

I wanted to retain the importance of the frame from my initial effort which kept me largely on the edges. There's also the confining nature of the box. I prefer to experience it as protective, and in that regard, I decided to emphasize details - small shifts of weight and gesture that can be absorbed from a few feet away.

A question I had for myself is whether there is something edges (I am thinking of 2D edges, but that doesn't limit the thought to them) that helps us see more clearly? More clearly or with more imagination?

"other side" at Art Festival on Pier 36

Here are a few glimpses from performing on the other side of the glass plate, she wore nothing at the Art Festival on Pier 36 last saturday, 9.13.08.

Click to Play

We had a blast with all the interesting art around (look out for our hazmat suit friend who wandered into the piece unannounced). and we learned a number of things about staging it outside for small audiences so we can make some changes for next time.

Performers are Amiti Perry + Jen Painter. other side created by Seen Performance, was first performed March 2008 at Dixon Place in Soho, NY.

Thanks for watching!

Box Shy - Party Project - Test Run

Click to Play

why do we perform?

There are many reasons why we at Seen Performance make performances - here are just a few of them. Enjoy!

Box Shy rehearsal

Here's an excerpt from our rehearsal for Box Shy of The PARTY PROJECT. We added an "audience" since the full set up for this piece has the audience surrounding a box performing area --with four volunteers unscrolling Shana's painting (which you don't see here - check out the "Shana adds a layer" videos for her sketches). David and Esther are both making their performance/composition choices live, though the structure is set.

Click to Play

what is seen performance?

A few words from founding members David Morneau, Esther Palmer, and Shana Burns on what makes them Seen Performance. Enjoy!

Click to Play

Box Shy - the video version

Here David adds the third layer in our round robin collaboration to make the first work of our The PARTY PROJECT. From here we go to the studio to turn this collaboration into a performance.

shana adds a layer - B

Shana brings some animation to our first piece in the PARTY PROJECT. Here is, you guessed it, version.

shana adds a layer - A

Shana's layer to our first piece in the PARTY PROJECT. Here is version A.

Box Shy - The Party Project, #1

While we like musing in the big comfy chair at shana's place (see the what is performance? video), we value showing just as much as talking.

And so... our latest project is PARTY GAMES. And it's in your neighborhood (or your backyard -- invite us to your next party and there we will be!)

We are developing a piece round-robin style, each of us getting 5 days to add a layer and develop the work before we polish it together just in time to share it during a local house party, putting performance into social mingling like any other conversation.

Esther started this round:


I was working in the studio and decided to play with the edges of the frame, using 4 $20 bills to mark the camera's space. I edited this down to draw attention to entering, exiting, and being in the frame. I added voice over to bring out the inner thought process that can go on when I'm making stuff up in the studio.

Thoughts? Questions? Leave us your comments and we'll respond!

what is performance, anyway?