HAND DANCE
first performed on November 02, 2020
Works & Process at the Guggenheim - Virtual Commissions
performed once in 2020
A COLLABORATION WITH BRITTANY ENGEL-ADAMS AND RON ERLIH. NEW MUSIC BY DAVID LANG WITH TEXT BY BERNIE SANDERS
Vocals by Brittany Engel-Adams and Chris Giarmo Costumes by Suzanne Bocanegra Produced by Sara Pereira da Silva
New York City
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www.bigdancetheater.org
HAND DANCE
A COLLABORATION WITH BRITTANY ENGEL-ADAMS AND RON ERLIH. NEW MUSIC BY DAVID LANG WITH TEXT BY BERNIE SANDERS
“Hand Dance” is a dance film and collaboration between composer David Lang, choreographer Annie-B Parson, visual artist Ron Erlih, and dancer/choreographer Brittany Engel-Adams. Moved by their premiere date, the eve of the 2020 election, the group wanted to reflect being at this precipice. David Lang’s song includes a line about the working class from a Bernie Sanders’ speech, and in Lang’s hands, the text reads like an aspirational koan. The song inspires an intimate hand dance set in Brittany and Ron’s kitchen in Brooklyn. Throughout the film, hands sourced from public data sets are overlaid on top of Brittany’s hand gestures, suggesting a larger world beyond their home.