seperate | SPHERES, choregraphed by dance major Helene Leichter at the University of Richmond, was inspired by her own experiences with mental health, therapy, and reactions to trauma. The 35 minute draws on the dancers’ own experiences, and creates a narrative arc that follows the dancers as characters in their parallel and interconnected experiences.
In lighting the piece, I created contrast with the narrative, theatrical nature of the piece by adopting an abstract approach. While the specifics of emotion and action were critical for the dancers and in developing the choreography, I chose to abstract those elements, instead allowing the movement to press upon the audience with an overwhelming sense of emotion, and at times, chaos.
The light becomes a final dancer - shadows cast become further bodies, projecting shape and form, making manifest the experiences of the dancers. The hanging transluscent cloths I designed, which are dropped in the final movement of the piece, accentuate the role of those shadows, generating ever-more bodies that occupy the space, alternately concealing and multiplying.
