Roulette: John King & Brandon Collwes – Sonic Gathering United
Free
Alexandra Albrecht and Cori Kresge, dance artists
John King, Joanna Mattrey, and William Parker, creative musicians.
Since April 1st 2020, choreographer Brandon Collwes and composer John King have been presenting a weekly live online performance series called “Sonic Gathering.” Each 30-minute performance features a rotating cast of dancers and musicians, presenting new collaborative work of movement and sound, with each performer participating from their own home. Inspired by the concept of a Merce Cunningham "Event", each week the music is brought together through a combination of pre-composed material, chance-determined time-organization, and spontaneous creation arranged by King. The dance is a mix of choreography by Collwes, with some material improvised by the dancers at predetermined intervals. Rather than shying away from the limitations of creating music and dance in the age of quarantine, Sonic Gathering embraces the medium to create something fresh and original.
Sonic Gathering United is the culmination of Collwes and King’s pioneering weekly collaborations throughout our year of quarantine. Each week, “Sonic Gathering” brought together select musicians and dancers on Zoom to create special, one-time live performance events. Sonic Gathering United will apply the same concepts, but will feature all the performers in the same room for the first time. Dancers will perform a mix of Collwes’s choreography and their own improvisations, and musicians will follow a score by King that consists of pre-composed material, chance-determined time-organization and spontaneous creation.
“Sonic Gathering” was a reflection of and an expression about the times that performers found themselves in when Covid first struck and our society went into lockdown. As society emerges from lockdown, Sonic Gathering United explores the ways in which remote collaboration has expanded our artistic horizons, while celebrating the return of live performance and the freedom to collaborate in the same space.
The broadcast will take place at 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific.
Link to donate: https://roulette.secure.force.com/donate/?dfId=a0n3600000I68L9AAJ