Romany Dear: There is a duality in their feelings

About

'Two fisted, many sided, tuna fem' is a solo work that Dear developed during her time in Colombia, where she taught dance in Bogota. Reworked and translated for this sharing, the work explores the body and identity as questionable constructs. Dear reads aloud a letter she has written to herself, using a loop pedal, microphone and parts of a recorded track. The artist’s movements and layering of verbal and non-verbal language highlight the dualities, contradictions and in-between spaces that exist within gender. It presents a constellation of multiple and unstable positions that make visible the many selves or sides that we inhabit—including our so-called ‘masculine’ and/ or ‘feminine’ sides, as well as what is created when those sides are conversing/ queering. It is a reciprocal love letter from body to body. 

'Variations on Solo Yolo (we still have many lives left to dance)' explores authorship, collaboration and autonomy in performance. Part of the work takes the structure of a game—a strategy the artist learnt from a week-long intensive with dancer and choreographer Alice Chauchat—and involves a changing set of parameters that are devised collectively by the dancers during the performance. These are assimilated by the dance, and consequently propose and dictate the movements and actions of the group. Dear says about the work:

'This piece attempts to explore transparency, resistance and oppositions. It is a piece that is made up of many dualities and a piece that talks. Continuously turning inside out on itself to question and propose. The dance borrows the structure of a game, existing across different time zones that allows the dancers to dance their potential futures with that YOLO feeling. Simultaneously physically performing and workshopping through semiotic propositions for their current and unfolding present.'

Dear’s use of collective improvisation as a compositional method, highlights the grey areas that exist between how meaning is created, understood and read. The work continues her research into the relationship between notions of support and restraint, the author and performer, and the dance and the dancer/s. The ongoing nature of the piece allows for infinite variations, that are generated live, each time the work is performed. 

'Two fisted, many sided, tuna fem' (2017/18) is performed and created by Romany Dear. Music by Hudson Mohawk

'Variations on Solo Yolo (we still have many lives left to dance)' (2015 - ongoing) is made with and performed by Romany Dear, Michelle Warner Borrow and Nandi Bhebe. Music made and produced by Jose Marulanda

Let's talk about dance, baby!

Romany Dear is a UK-born, Glasgow-based performer, teacher and learner who works with choreographic and body based practices across arts, education and community contexts. Dear has been working as an inclusive dance teacher with Con Cuerpos in Colombia and with Indepen-dance in Glasgow over the last 5 years. Dear is one of the co founders of Glasgow Open Dance School (G.O.D.S) a not for profit organisation dedicated to the sharing and facilitating of free non thematic movement and dance practices, strongly working from the ethos of: Everybody is a dancer ! Dear has recently exhibited and/or performed with Con Cuerpos and Prisma Arts in Colombia, The Pearce Institute, Telfer Gallery and CCA in Glasgow, Siobhan Davies Studios in London and The Volksbuhne Theatre in Berlin.

Michelle Warner Borrow is from the North of England and currently lives between London and South Wales. Michelle is a dancer and performer who is fascinated by the meaning of movement and is currently training to be a dance and movement psychotherapist.

Nandi Bhebhe is a British-born Southern African living in London. She is a performer and choreographer, whose work includes touring with Bill T. Jones' Fela!, Kneehigh Theatre and projects with Vocab Dance Company, Young Vic Theatre, the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe. She is also co director of Bhebhe and Davies, a collective with Welsh artist and researcher Phoebe Davies. Nandi is very excited to be moving, sharing, challenging and learning within Romany Dears, Solo Yolo!

Jose Marulanda is a music producer and sound designer from Barranquilla, Colombia whose work draws together traditional, dance and experimental music, sound installation, performance and sound designing. Under the following names, El Traste, Felina Spank, Comite Numerico and Panama Papers, Marulanda’s music has been published across labels such as: Etoro Records (Uk), New York Haunted (NL) Hormonal Vibrationz (FR) Survival Alliance Records (ARG) Black Leather Records (COL) to name a few. Marulanda is noted for his interest in attempting to erase the boundaries between music genres by mixing eclectic styles of music within one piece, creating conversation about the need for movement/s within the process of listening. Searching for the purpose of these sounds across different scenarios and exploring how they affect or invite reaction.

The artist would like to thank Alice Chauchat, Con Cuerpos and Yana Fay for their incredible teachings and sharings in regards to the making of these pieces. And of course to the collaborators and performers Nandi Bhebhe, Michelle Warner Borrow and Jose Marulanda. And Kirsty White for the invitation. Thank you.

Image: Solo Variations by Romany Dear part of South of No North photo by Camilla Greenwell