“The depiction of two landscapes in one imaginative play. Slowly unfolding pieces of ongoing thoughts, sincere layers, fields of invention, scenes and scenarios. Opening the senses inside in order to feel the meters, inviting the image to just lay down on the back of the eyes and clearly notice that the body is a visual event, allowing it to be seen and through this perception making agreements with the space. Listening. Be. Become. Unfold. Fade.”

under the folding branches is a research conducted by Marcio Kerber Canabarro and Stephanie Van Aken. The collaboration started from the simple wish to dance together after graduating in July, 2011 from the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in Austria. Several periods of rehearsal in Belgium and Hungary were organized in 2012 to research and collaborate together.

For this research we got particularly interested in the use of imagination, a very rich investigation, which became the basic layer of this work. As a basic plane, we experimented with articulating architectural shapes through the body, an attempt to reinvent the space around us. From there we expanded this principle into inventing our own imaginary landscapes to move through. In this way we were able to go through different sensations and to enrich the body’s vocabulary and texture of movement. From working with architecture we made an attempt at creating ‘architexture’, a sensual travel through different imaginary landscapes. We travel through the rooms and spaces that we have created in our minds, deforming and putting objects in different ‘dimensions’. We could call it as well the ‘architecture of dreams’. We executed these improvisations with closed eyes, with earplugs, and by holding each others hand the entire trip. From holding each others hand we got aware of the picture it produced: a man and a woman holding hands and the possible love stories people project on it. Therefor we chose to work with a soundtrack that leans towards those associations even though the dance is purely focused on landscapes rather than presenting a romantic relationship. The two bodies present as channels where imaginary landscapes can manifest themselves, the body is a moving kinetic sculpture.

When not together, the work continued virtually on a blog where we could share references, ideas and videos to keep the work going (www.queerrabbit.blogspot.com).

• Links to research videos

https://vimeo.com/34633271
https://vimeo.com/34757970
https://vimeo.com/34674421

…

By and with: Marcio Kerber Canabarro and Stephanie Van Aken
Thanks to: SÍN Kulturális Központ (Budapest, HU) and vzw Dans en Expressie (Mechelen, BE)