what is

grace u rofflu was more than just a performance.

it was the process which made the performance what it is. Before we embarked on this project, we had no idea what the result would be and we didnt have a clear picture of what we wanted either. For us it was about the process; what could be created out of the ideas and knowledge from three different art forms and backgrounds.

it wasn’t an easy process, but it was very challenging and exciting. it was about searching and digging deeper and deeper into each others capabilities to bring out the essences which made this performance real. Therefore, I believe it is good when the process is not easy or straightforward. It opens up more possibilities through which you learn more about each individual, and alot about yourself.

it isn’t mine and it isn’t yours. The collaborative process required an honest sharing and what was been put into the bowl became a responsability of the whole team. It was this which made our creation richer; an understanding that this was something that belonged to all of us and thus each one of us was responsible to pull a thread and sustain a balance in the web.

it isn’t over. the performance happened over a month ago, but within us there is still something alive wanting to push further to discover more. rubberbodies will meet again in Berlin and spend the last few weeks of the year together. what we will do in Berlin is still uncertain, but what we know it that we are still curious of travelling into the bluriness.

review for ‘grace u rofflu’

the poster

photo by algo

work and play

It starts getting exciting when material builds up and the collaboration becomes a big part of the process. We have now started working with Philip, the musician. He has been watching the movement and we have spoke about the mood we want to create. Philip has been improvising with a cello and guitar whilst we run through the scenes. It is great when you work with artists who are open to experiment and to try out different ways of devising. In this performance, we feel that the music is an important tool which will add another layer of texture to the whole piece.

Meanwhile, Pandolfino has been creating the props and costumes. We have been discussing how we would like to use them and in this way he has customized each item to our need. He has also played with colour and tones, mainly yellow, brown, orange and white creating a neutral, yet strong setting. This will be enhanced once we start working with light designer, Chris Gatt.

Matthew Pandolfino making changed to one of the main costumes - photo by algo

We have also worked with photographer Augustine. By running through the scenes, he has been observing and capturing moments. He selected images in some scenes and played with light to intensify actions.

becoming Grace becoming Rofflu

We’ve been working intensely on the movement. Now we feel much more comfortable with each other. When you’re moving together with a person, it requires the skill of listening. It is a balance between resisting and letting go; listening to what your body is doing but also what the other person’s body is doing.

We want to build a relationship between Grace and Rofflu. It is not about performing a set of moves but it is about entering a space as someone who is not you. It involves a lot of characterisation and understanding of how, I, as Grace, would act and how Rofflu would react.

We have had some feedback from a lovely French audience. It is very helpful when you work with an outside eye. We have been using a camcorder too, yet having someone present with you in the space makes it different for the performers. You want to transmit emotion and you can somehow feel what the audience is feeling. It a great satisfaction for a performer to feel an audience’s reaction, especially if that is the response you wanted to stimulate.

The stem of Grace & Rofflu

These are some extracts from a session where the movement of the piece is being created bit by bit. These videos are intended to the musician and the light designer to have a permanent documentation of what is going on so they can start scripting their scores. We are also using this technique to self direct ourselves and analyse the movements and the mistakes

We are considering this to be just the skeleton of the whole process. Now that the scoring of the movement is set , we as the performers will start to polish and polish and polish and polish until our bodies memorise the movements and then we can start to give it more character and texture.

two minus one

Even if a piece of choreography is performed by one person it does not mean that it has been composed by an individual.

Jimmy has been observing my movement whilst improvising in the space. My movement can be very distal sometimes; the initiation coming from external limbs, legs and arms. Then my movement can become more proximal coming more from internal impulses. Jimmy interprets what he sees and fires instructions. It’s hard when the movement is so fast. The body needs time to perceive and there is a lot of characterisation involved too. My body needs to be someone else. I cannot dance myself.

It’s very interesting when someone who doesn’t share the same knowledge gives you feedback. It is honest and it is coming from the eyes of a hairy beer bellied being (now disappearing :) ), and not from fairy muscle legs.

we call it dance notation

dedicated to jimmy’s short term memory

drive a costume

It is the work of a group of individuals. The initial meetings and conversations were an input of all three; Pan, Jim, Be. Now we have split off to focus on our roles.

Me and Jimmy are the movers. Pan is the maker. Not the maker of the movement, but the maker of our assets. He shared his ideas of costumes we could use and we also gave him instructions of what the storyline is, and how we would like to use costume to project certain type of movement. The costumes are in the process of making and once they’re ready, we will use them as a tool for us to build movement material.

We have a continuous dialogue of sharing and showing and we believe it is very important that each of us is involved in the process in the same way. There is no way of extinguishing your energy. Someone is always there with a twinkle of positive force.