Circadian

Summary Statement (300 words)

Circadian (2019) is a 24 hour dance work created by Rosemary Lee, comprising of 24 (12-minute) solos on the hour every hour. The first is danced by the youngest and the last by the oldest of 24 soloists. It explores individuality, aging, and a repeated, intimate, solo form to create a performance experience epic in scale.

The research aimed to:

• Explore the potential of a shared solo form to be embodied and interpreted by an intergenerational range of performers.
• Build a durational, repetitive, ritualistic, choreographic structure that encourages reflection in how we age and harnesses qualities of close attention.
• Use choreographic practice to explore the potential to create an affecting solo work in the round, in a confined circle, that is nevertheless responsive to the expansive site it is located within.

Lee created a solo score that allowed for both individual expression and repeating gestures in every solo, to reveal both the diversity and commonality within the cast, and to illuminate the aging process over time. Through significantly developing her intergenerational, ensemble choreographic practice (e.g. Common Dance¹), here she worked one-to-one to support each dancer’s solo practice and unique energetic state.

Previously she has researched ensemble-based repetition and duration for a distance audience (e.g. Passage for Par²). Here, she experimented with repetition of an entire score and its accompanying song for an audience in close proximity. The research speaks to other artistic practices (e.g. Ragnar Kjartansson³ and LoneTwin⁴) in the way that it explores predictability as a way of encouraging engagement.

Circadian is distinct from her previous one-off, site-specific works in that she approached the 5-metre circle and the ritualistic structure as the site itself, capable of being placed in and affected by differing contexts and varied durations as developed in Threaded Fine.⁵

References:

1. Lee, Rosemary (2009). Common Dance, London: Dance Umbrella.[performance]
2. Lee, Rosemary (2018). Passage for Par, Cornwall: Groundwork. [performance]
3. Kjartansson, Ragnar (2013) A Lot of Sorrow, New York: MoMA PS1 [performance]
4. Whelan, Gregg & Winters, Gary – Lone Twin (2006) Ghost Dance, Wolverhampton: Fierce Festival. [performance]
5. Lee, Rosemary (2020) Threaded Fine, Valletta: Zfin Malta. [performance]

Contextual Information

Production Credits:

• Conceived and directed by Rosemary Lee
• Choreography: Rosemary Lee with support from Sophie Arstall & Aya Kobayashi and interpretation by the performers
• Composer and performer: Isaac Lee-Kronick
• Costume design and styling: Flora Moyes
• Soloists in order of appearance: Evie Smith, Ralph Bate, Skye Dorward, Isaac Looker, Meredith Winship, Helen Lamb, Tilly Lee-Kronick, Richard Pye, Lizzie Stanley, Sarah Lewis, Laura McGill, Abby Page, Lynnette King, Mary Davies, Anna Williams, Nicky Gibbs, Rebecca Chapman, Andy Newman, Rosemary Lee, Caroline Mummery, Diego Robirosa, Lyn Matthews, Cecil Rowe, Pam Williams
• Rehearsal Assistant/Cast co-ordinator: Richard Pye
• Site management: Des Reynolds
• Site support: Charlie Kronick
• Produced by Nicky Childs, Artsadmin with support from DanceEast

Commissions and funding:

Commissioned by First Light Festival and DanceEast.
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Performances:

22-23 June 2019 First Light Festival, Lowestoft, Suffolk

Supporting documents:

1. Programme notes displayed at site

Circadian Programme Notes PDF

This text was displayed at the site of the live performance, and includes programme notes for the audience. It illustrates how Lee prepared the passers-by and festival goers for the work should they choose to stop to read it and view the solo.

 2. Score for performers

Score for Performers PDF

This score was given to the performers as a way for them to practice themselves and learn the cues. It reveals the shared images, tasks and intentions.

Project Website:

www.artsadmin.co.uk/project/circadian/

Other Notes:

Lee was commissioned to make a work for ZfinMalta (National Dance company of Malta) and guest performers. She developed the concept of Circadian creating Threaded Fine (2020), for 24 soloists performed one after the other like a relay, in age order over 5 hours. The work took place within a chalk circle in a stripped out Valletta Campus theatre with theatre lighting. She deepened her research, intensifying the repetition and exploring the potential of placing the circular site in a new indoor expansive setting.

The creative process was documented by Scott Delahunta (C-DaRE) to create a website revealing the process and the performance: threadedfine.motionbank.org