Back in October, we introduced a new interdisciplinary project that Janusphere Dance Company Artistic Director Darion Smith is working on in collaboration with Carla Bengtson and Neal Moignard.
As Smith explains it, "Carla approached both Neal and I to join her project in which we will be trying to communicate with selected lizard species." The initial question is whether or not it is possible to communicate with the lizards, and what that communication could looks like. For Smith, another significant question that the project presents is how this communication, and the documentation of it, becomes art.
Source: by Biodiversity Heritage Library is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Smith will focus on "learning the lizard dialects, which are a series of specific head bobs and push-ups, tail movements, etc." that he will use to create the choreography for the project.
Still in its nascent stages, the project builds on Bengtson's ideas about communication with the natural world. It will include gallery work, an interactive installation, and a dance performance that uses elements from the discoveries made and the ideas developed as the project progresses.
For Smith, this particular project has him "thinking about dance in a brand new way in terms of communication." That includes "looking at problems or ideas through the lens of very different artists" and the impact that has both on the audiences and on the artists themselves.