"The Beggar & The Bird" is an evening of enigmatic movement and sound. Yet through the dance is a deeply moving tale embedded in a tapestry of irony and humour. The contemporary choreography and stagecraft captures the imagination with translucent layers created by talented and experienced technical artists. The collaborating team of sound engineers, costume, set and lighting create subtle textures that support the choreography from various angles. The intention is that each member of the audience finds their own thread to weave their personal version of the story.
Amber, Natalie and Albert are performers who have found a unique relationship between voice and dance. Through a deep working connection, and improvisation they have identified a form of story telling which can arise naturally through patterns of vocal play and movement. Impulses are shared and reciprocated in the form of vocal harmonies, distorted sounds, breath, foot/body percussion and dance. Motifs and themes recur through the performance, producing a playful and deeply affecting performance.
The première for this performance was held on the 8th of November 2007, at:
Odeon Theatre,
Taborstrasse 10,
A-1020 Vienna, Austria.
Further performances will be announced through this Web page, or send an email to Amber Gabrielle.
The Beggar and The Bird © Amber Gabrielle 2007
Concept & Choreography: Amber Gabrielle
Original Score: Natalie Jean-Marain
The movement is based on a contemporary dance vocabulary. The predominant contemporary style will contain elements of modern dance, contact/partnering, floor work, capoeira (Brazilian Martial arts form) and hip hop's "popping & locking". The performance is structured around solos, duets and communication with voice.
Amber says "I wish to explore the connection of voice and movement and how they might influence each other as two expressions that come purely from the body. I wish to communicate with innovation and clarity through the body by experimenting with my range as a dancer, as a choreographer and as an artist".
Natalie Jean-Marain composed the original score exclusively for "The Beggar & The Bird". She created an electronic drone that provides both a deep pulse and an expansive atmospheric sound. Her primary soundtrack is then detailed and layered by analog instruments (percussion, electric bass, piano, guitar and vocals) playing live at the night of the performance. With minimal media, her idea is to create a "sound-space" which initiates the audience into the story on an internal level.
This is achieved by continuously shifting the acoustic perspective from the three dimensional space of the theatre into a film-like reality. The voice is used as the essential mediator between the outer environment and the inner motions of the body also triggering transformation. The instrumental music will soften and draw back allowing the raw tones of the voice to direct the emotion and lead the story on its journey.
For more about the music and the songs, see the music page.