Working inside of a dance-scoring paradigm is one of my favorite ways to compose. The needs of a collaborating choreographer are easily negotiable using Ableton Live (my software of choice) and the real-time nature of the continually evolving landscape is endlessly engaging as I get to really play with the dancers and dig way into the movement.
The last two weeks have been spent in Philadelphia with choreographer Meredith Rainey and his dancers inside of Drexel University’s Mandell Theater Dance Studio. Together with his company co-director, Sun Mi Cho, Meredith put together a smaller work to show to funders and invited guests which drew its inspiration from Rorschach ink-blots. I wrote the music, and Luke Du Bois designed and produced some gorgeous interactive video to amplify the choreography. (Before you click away, do check out Luke’s year-long project, just completed, of a composition a day.)
Video will follow, but to start with, this short three minute clip below is full of live material from from the showings. Hopefully we’ll expand this into a much longer piece. Thanks to the Pew foundation for its funding of this initial work.
Todd Reynolds 