In the studio

We're 3 weeks from premiering 'catcher,' the new piece with live music in the opera house. The set is simple - a giant light, like the light on a scanner, will move sideways and up and down over the stage. The instruments of the live percussionist who's performing with us fill the back of the stage. Other than that, it's all room to move.


There's the drum kit, a mini forest of cymbals, heavy metal pieces, spinning rings, music boxes, crackling paper, a soft-skinned drum, and maybe an accordion at some point.





While the musicians figure out what it's going to sound like, we dance...a lot. Duets, big group phrases, tricky precision sections, lots of running around, lots of jumping and sliding and opposing forces. We had our first few run-throughs last week Thursday and Friday, and it was ...umm, painful.

Of course, there was pleasure too, mainly from dancing to the music at full volume for the first time. I couldn't help but think of something I read once in an interview with a German club owner: "To fly around the room with the best music playing at the highest volume is a highly-religious act."