“STAR” is a participatory, durational song event that can take place in any location. It is especially powerful when enacted in a sonically resonant space, such as the lobby rotunda of the Lyons Pool on Staten Island. The structure is simple and can be printed on a small card (see below).

The Lyons Pool incarnation of “STAR” lasted four hours, from 8pm until midnight. In addition to a few core participants, who committed to sustain the “STAR” for that duration, many community members and spectators participated from the edges and in the center.

Like Authentic Movement, “STAR” explores the dynamics of doing and witnessing without the pressure of an explicitly performative frame. In this case, the task for the person in the center is to continually produce sound. The “STAR” structure offers a particular rigor in that the person in the center does not decide when to stop, but remains there until replaced. This simple rule allows for a surprisingly deep experience for experienced and inexperienced practitioners alike.

“STAR”:

• the center is marked by a star

• there should always be one person in the center

• you can replace the person in the center at any time

• the person in the center continuously makes sound

• the person in the center stays until replaced

• after you have been in the center, you may continue to make sound in support of the person in the center

• feel free to move about the space

“STAR” is about duration, self-care and surrendering to time. When you go in the center, you cannot know how long you will be there. We offer this experience as a gift.