“I wanted to challenge myself to construct a machine using two human bodies. I wanted to visually demonstrate what a morphing, a weaving, a coding, even a glitch can look like through movement “ says Scarlett Wynne, the choreographer behind “note G,” a live performance installation exploring the relationship between artificial and organic capacity.
The dance work happens in tandem with form & concept’s Beyond Punch Cards exhibition, which offers unexpected perspectives on the links between technology and textiles. Wynne and her husband, Erik Sampson—the team behind New Mexico Dance Project—perform the 15-minute “note G” twice on July 19, along with a special video installation projected after each performance and an artist Q&A rounding out the evening.
Wynne and Sampson founded New Mexico Dance Project in January of this year. Since launching their project, Wynne and Sampson have taken every opportunity to perform. Open rehearsals and audience talk-backs allow them to connect with the larger community. “The dance industry has maintained a certain separation from its audience, and we wanted to press into that and find opportunities for exploring dance in unique environments that provided more access to our audience,” Sampson explains.
Wynne and Sampson met while studying dance at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. They soon found that Sampson’s cautious and practical approach to dance balanced Wynne’s tendencies towards creative risk-taking. After graduating, Wynne danced for the Georgia Ballet.
The two then danced for the same company, Uptown Dance Company, in Houston, where they married. They then moved on to Denver, where Wynne danced for Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet and Wonderbound and Sampson worked as an educator. After a short stint in Saint Louis, the pair moved to Santa Fe in late 2018.
New Mexico Dance Project innovatively takes storytelling elements from classical ballet and combines them with raw, experimental forms of human expression found in modern and contemporary dance. In terms of choreography, Wynne sees “note G” as an opportunity for personal growth. “During my choreographic process, I create work specifically to be identifiable, to be human, and to be raw. Note G was a way of stretching myself by exploring material outside my comfort zone and looking at movement from a different perspective.”
PLEASE NOTE:
Doors open at 6pm, performances are at 6:30pm and 7:30pm.
The gallery will ask for a $10-$25 donation at the door in support of the artists.