It has been great to get talking with Valerie Ross out in Malaysia in the last couple of days as we tentatively look to new ways of continuing our work in the distinct but interrelated disciplines of performative and participatory music, dance and its theorisation. We first were introduced through our shared interests in science-art engagements that are sensitive to bodies, environments and the cultures they hold.

We are looking to find shape to covid era experience across borders in our different compositional strategies working with performance artists and participants/audiences in live streamed/live music/dance workshops and performance Malaysia-UK.

Here’s a rough cut of earlier dance studio preparations for performance of Valerie’s wonderful composition Cusp of Life, which, like the earlier Blue Spot, draws on the sounds of the body – here literally the human heart – and which is being used as part of electro-acoustic work enabling positive health outcomes through her music-medicine work with cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr Abid Amir.

This choreographic response to The Cusp of Life by composer/researcher Valerie Ross, Associate Professor at Universiti Teknologi MARA, was first presented as part of the the ‘Sound of Change’ concert exploring the transformative role of the performing arts in interdisciplinary realms at The Centre for Intercultural Musicology at Churchill College’s International Conference on Musical Intersections in Practice (MIP2019), Cambridge University, 25th October 2019. It is performed by BA Theatre & Performance Practice second year students Lansinet Berete, Erica Postnikova & Savane Tchoukeu as part of their creative learning on the Choreographing Performance module, and was also seen at the Tate Modern as part of a TATE Talks event 19th December 2019.

Choreography by Jane Turner in collaboration with the dancers.
Music: Valerie Ross
Film: James Allen