I(s)land Body/Taha Tinana
A home-based research development project with two NZ based dance artists Kelly Nash and Nancy Wijohn, and two Finnish based dance artists Georgie Goater (NZ dance artist living in Helsinki) and Gesa Piper (German dance artist living in Helsinki) working on choreographic and performance ideas during Covid 19. Supported by Creative NZ.
Leading: Kelly Nash
Collaborative performers: Nancy Wijohn, Georgie Goater, Gesa Piper, Kelly Nash
Video edits: Nancy Wijohn
Sound: Georgie Goater, Kelly Nash
Blog: Kelly Nash
I(s)land Body
Reviews
”Living as we are in this time of locked borders and house arrest (at least in Melbourne); I was touched by the whimsical, the playful and the poetic. I felt a kinaesthetic connection with the 4 of you, the way that one movement carries across timezones and skin-sense - a healthy transmission of intentional movement that is open to others including the nonhuman; and how a sense of assembly, of coming-together through sited actions (the lake, the rock, the edge of a crater) at different times of the day shapes a tapestry for these times. It was great to hear the overlay of voices and movements from different sides of the world at Sunrise and Sunset….and Gesa’s burial to connect with you. Longing for contact and connection at this time of distance, isolation and the fear of getting sick is so palpable. The solace of the smell and texture of these other worlds permeates the screen. “
— Carol Brown Head of VCA Dance Melbourne
“I found it mesmerising. I felt a gentle depth of exploration conceptually and the relationship with land and bodies very strong. I appreciated the conversations between elements, relationships, and bodies, and felt a strong sense of empathy with land and bodies very healing as a transmission - which is quite hard to do.
The empathy and emotional or body intelligence of dancers came through for me strongly, and the simplicity of video images alongside philosophical or poetic texts and questions lingered or resonated for me.
These layers of words or questions mentioned while watching videos returned to me, or I felt a kinaesthetic sense of these searches or inquiries really beautiful as gentle layers.
The connections between people, who have a synergy and empathy, across the world, and the sophistication in both creation and exploration was stunning.
This real sense of love was emitted somehow through the project, for each other and for your bodies and the Earth which I find quite refreshing in a time of so much polarisation and trauma collectively. This commitment to finding languages through gestures, words, and patterns of nature or bodies finding expression and finding a place or a home during this difficult time, creatively even, is transformative.
Its made me realise how much I connect to the nature in Europe as well as Aotearoa empathetically, as well as the culture, and how our bodies are so connected. Water seemed like a strong element in the work, and the empathy of our bodies even through screens and conversations, the fluidity of our moment calling for us to change and adapt and find ways to connect and stay grounded.
Just this simple idea of finding our bodies or finding our Earth or finding each other somehow is really beautiful, through being forced to do things differently in this Covid-19 times. And the softness that emerged through it toward ourselves or others, the more compassionate wood wide web available to us as well.”
— Alexa Wilson Director of EDWA
