The music to the piece was written first. The initial rules were that each composer had to write exactly eight minutes of music in total but that the length of each separate piece was up to the individual's discretion.This resulted in some interesting extremes such as a section lasting a mere eleven seconds and one of indeterminate length.
The choreographic process was a more conventional collaboration over the weeks of rehearsal but nevertheless involved distinct areas of responsibility for the two choreographers.
A further idea underlying the whole piece was the idea that the two art forms of music and dance would play an equal part in the piece and furthermore that each artist would attempt a least a section of performance in the 'opposite ' art form. These considerations, as well as the fact that the piece was to subsequently tour to educational establishments where an elaborate set, or even a blackout were not possible seemed to lead very naturally to a very relaxed, informal style of presentation, which one audience member likened to a 'conversation' between the performers. Indeed although we began the process of creating 'linked verses' with a working method which allowed for a good deal of artistic autonomy, we found that we developed a high level of trust and a very comprehensive common language during the making and rehearsal process which created the space for detailed and close collaboration on the final piece.
The final collaborative layer of the piece lay in our educational and outreach brief. The piece toured to a number of schools and colleges in the Epping Forest District. After an initial performance the thirty or so young people in the audience at each venue participated in two days of intensive workshops either as dancers or musicians. At the end of this work the piece was reperformed with the core performers doing exactly the same piece but with the addition of the young people as dancers or musicians simultaeneously performing additional material of their own devising. Some of this work can be seen on our education page.
This project would not have been possible without its commissioning, funding and promotion by Epping Forest Arts, the arts department of Epping Forest District Council and without the personal support and involvement of Carien Meijer, the Arts Officer. We thank both institution and individual.
To see 'linked verses - www remix' click here
To view quick time movies of extracts from the piece click here
To listen to or download music from 'linked verses' in mp3 format:
six by Michael Szpakowski
two by Matthew Davidson