Performance - Day 29

The penultimate day! We cannot believe that it is day 29! Once again we had another successful performance today despite a delayed set up due to some workmen parking their truck in the middle of our square and more of those blue bicycles back again!

We also managed to catch up with Guildhall composers Ed and Michail who told us their thoughts on last night's concert.

Chatting with some men who are regulars at Solo 30x30:

Associate Projects - Hugo Glendinning Upate 3

In my visits 6 and 7 to Fortier's Solo 30x30 I decided to stop looking too hard for the 'subliminal' choreography and see what else might be happening. Interestingly what emerged was a series of duets with the passing or watching audience. At one moment a small boy standing up on the 'balcony' mirrors PAF's movements exactly, consciously and somewhat ironically joining the dance. Then there is a picture in which PAF seems - through some act of remote physical will - to be forcing a man to lift his two black bags, to turn a corner and leave the frame. Meanwhile in the same picture another figure joins this gesture with a move towards the performance that completes a circle of movement initiated by Fortier's gesture. Another very straight forward image shows a woman's fear or maybe disgust as Fortier moves into the most violent part of his choreography with chopping movements of the hands accompanied by sharp and audible exhaling. Her body leans away from the performance making it a part of the subliminal choreography that I have been looking for all along, albeit through an unconscious act of aversion rather than inclusion. I like the pictures from these two visits a lot, I have also realised that the panoramic format which I have been looking at is totally appropriate for what I am doing and that using just a 50mm lens gives a more honest view of Fortier's work in relation to the passing people.

Hugo captures Solo 30x30

Guildhall Concert

The Associated Project by Guildhall School of Music and Drama students premiered at Bishopsgate Institute last night. Seven composition students worked on six original compositions over the last month inspired by Solo 30x30. The pieces were written for percussion instruments.

This is the first associated project of Solo 30x30 to involve music, and Paul-André chose not to hear the music until he stepped into the space and began to dance.

Unlike a more traditional concert experience, the audience was able to sit around the performance space - some chose chairs, others sat on the floor - and the musicians from Sankorfa were situated in each corner of the performance space. It was a wonderful concert, and both the composition students, and Paul-André were extremely pleased they were able to conclude the project in this way.

Performance - Day Twenty Eight

After twenty eight days we are now intergrated with the environment at Liverpool Street and doubling as a tourist/shopping/dating bureau - we've been asked all sorts of odd questions by passers-by lately! A very busy start today but as the piece unfolded the atmosphere calmed. We spoke with some business men today who had been 4 or 5 times and said they found it a relaxing break from their stressful jobs.

Audience reaction to Solo 30x30:

Performance - Day Twenty Seven

With not long to go until the end, people are returning for their last chance to watch Solo 30x30. Some students from Middlesex University visited today with an MA Choreography student filming the piece and interviewing Paul-André Fortier for her dissertation. There was a varied reaction from the audience today with one spectator asking how much our Bloomberg umbrellas were as he wanted to buy one!

Clip of Paul-André Fortier's Solo 30x30:

Paul-André chatting with students from Middlesex University:

Performance - Day Twenty Six

Considering the wet weather we had a big audience with many people protecting themselves under their umbrellas for the full 30 minutes. A couple of taxi drivers stopped their cabs on the road in front of the space to watch, we even had time to give them a programme before they drove away!

Audience reaction to Solo 30x30

(Apologies for the video being the wrong way around,
we are not very techno-minded! But we liked this interview and wanted to share it)

Performance - Day Twenty Five

Great atmosphere from the audience today, everyone seemed to really enjoy the performance and Paul-André even did a second 'curtain call' as peeople just continued to applaud him. Lots of children around due to half-term and one little girl enjoyed playing with the rope and we were worried that it would fall off all together!

Cyclist stopping for a peek!

Performance - Day Twenty Four

A grey day but at least it was dry! Hugo Glendinning was taking photos today so all staff needed to keep slightly further away than usual to ensure that no orange jackets appeared in the photographs. It was another busy Friday with around half of the audience staying for 10 minutes or more, as well as a few regulars who are seen almost everyday at the performance.

Paul-André Fortier in action:

The crowds that gather on the steps of the station:

Associate Projects - Guildhall School Update 3

Make some noise.

Sankorfa, the percussion quartet who will be playing while Paul-André dances at Bishopsgate Institute, have been squeezing in time to rehearse our pieces. As is often the case, the performers wanted some time to look at our pieces and rehearse without the composers present. This is because it's always a bit of a nightmare sight-reading through a new piece with the composer there, listening and pointing out the minutiae when you're just trying to get a grasp of the whole.

So we won't hear how our pieces sound for another few days yet... and then things will probably get a bit frenzied for us again, making last-minute changes.

Personally, I have been looking all over the place for some quarter-inch tape on which to record and play the electronic-part of my piece. (It's made up of all sorts of things from thickly layered guitar-feedback to recordings of people reading from the Financial Times.) I found an old abandoned reel-to-reel tape recorder in a corner deep in the dark underbelly of Guildhall and really want to use it for the performance. Having finally got my hands on a fresh reel of tape (from a man called, amazingly, Stephen Hawking), I am now going to do some tests to see how it sounds...I could easily go the CD player route, but some annoying, nostalgic part of me wants to see and hear the plastic reels going round.

'Analogue is warmer', and all that.

Ed Finnis
Composer

The free concert is on Tues 30 October, 7.30pm, at Bishopsgate Institute
Check out details of the concert here

Performance - Day Twenty Three

A damp day that nevertheless was quiet eventful. We managed to stop 4 people walking into the space, including a couple with their luggage! The weather discouraged people to stop for long, but we had 'core' group who stuck with it. Lots of varied reactions today; surprise, confusion and cynicism, which sometimes made for a 'distracted' atmosphere.

Clip of Paul-Andre Fortier's Solo 30x30

Performance - Day Twenty Two

Our presentation of Solo 30x30 is supported by Bloomberg, so it was really great today when a number of their employees came by again to watch Paul-André. They all enjoyed the performance and later that evening Paul-André conducted a creative workshop with them which was a lot of fun.

Passers-by stop to chat, or take a break while reading
all about the piece

Performance - Day Twenty One

We had a very stressful set up today due to a security van parking in the performance space and not moving until minutes before the start! Luckily we we managed to get the space set up just in time for Paul-André to begin!

We want to encourage you to check out the fantastic photos taken by Ginelle Chagnon on Paul-André's blog. Plus, we've added links on the right hand side to audience members' sites - we are so amazed by the images many passers-by have been capturing. Thanks for sharing them!

We also found an interview that Showcasefringe did with Paul-André a couple of days ago - click here to watch.

Performance - Day Twenty

Happy 200th performance Paul-André!

Since its premiere in Newcastle in March 2006, Solo 30x30 has now been performed 200 times in seven cities around the world, including London. Dance Umbrella is extremely happy to be part of this wonderful achievement.

Interviews with audience members:

Performance - Day Nineteen

A wonderful day today with a clear blue sky, although a little cold! There was a mixed audience today with a few little ones enjoying the performance with thier families. Paul-André received a great reception at the end of the show, he even did two 'curtain-calls' rather than one and many audience members stayed to speak with us about him and the piece at the end.

Interviews with audience members:

Performance - Day Eighteen

A busy Saturday! When we arrived we had to handle an ambulance, a securicor van and a massive queue for the Taxi bay all in the performance space. We had our work cut out for us. It was really lovely to see one of the audience members subconscioulsy mirroring Paul-André's movements as he watched. It just adds to the experience for us, seeing the way the piece impacts on the audience. Hugo Glendinning came down to take more photographs today, so we tried really hard to make sure our orange jackets were out of the way so he could get some clear shots of Paul-André.

Interview with audience member:

Performance - Day Seventeen

As we are becoming quicker at setting up we will begin to set up closer to 1.30pm, so that there is less of a wait. There was a lively atmosphere today, with not only the City workers, but people travelling and those that have time on their hands to watch the entire 30 minutes. The Bishopsgate Institute was very quiet today so we will try to encourage people to head down to look at the exhibition after the performance.

Clip of Solo 30x30:

Audience reaction to Solo 30x30:

Performance - Day Sixteen

We decided to change the rope around the edge of the performance area today and to some people it was invisible! People are so busy in the City area and a few do not even notice the rope. They accidently trip over it or even unitentionally walk into the actual performance! At least it makes them stop for a split second to realise what is going on before they hurry off. Today we had a group of students sketching which was great, it was interesting to see what they had created from watching the piece. We are starting to notice more people coming back for a second viewing.

Interview with audience member:

Associate Projects - Hugo Glendinning Update 2

Things are beginning to fall into place for me, I shot the performance on Sunday and it was clear that the people who turn up specially to see Paul-André behave like an audience in a theatre - they usually sit down and stay still - they repress the urge to join in or to use their bodies to experience the choreography. While I got some nice things on Sunday, it seems to me that weekdays will be more productive than the weekends.

Having said that, I had quite a bad day today at 30x30. I don't think I was tuned in to it, perhaps it was just how it went but I really didn't get the best material. For some reason I didn't/couldn't see the things happening that connect the audience to Paul-André.

Can't tell you how irritating the cones and the DU ushers orange jackets are - maybe I kept thinking about that today rather than ignoring them as I did on the first day, but having seen them all over my pictures it is hard not to TRY to avoid them.

Performance - Day Fifteen

A fairly quiet day but with people stopping to watch for longer and really looking and engaging with what is happening. The business people are all starting to interact more and we recieved some great comments from them including "I'm enjoying making my own story, enjoying his rhythm" and "I guess people have varying reactions, but it's what you make it".

People from the performance are starting to go to the exhibition at Bishopsgate Institute to see examples of performances in other cities, plus associated projects.

We've been sent another Flickr slideshow from an audience member! Check it out!

Interview with audience member:

Clip of Solo 30x30:

Performance - Day Fourteen

A very windy day today meant that we were fighting with the rubbish that kept flying in to the performance space! And that was not the only thing that made it's way into the area, a man walking along on his mobile phone did not notice the dance, the people around it or the rope that runs around the performance area. He tripped into the space and found himself part of a contemporary dance solo! He quickly made his way out!

Performance - Day Thirteen

A windy day at Liverpool Street today and a somewhat quieter day too. The City workers were rushing past but some did have time to stop and see what was going on. Some even had a chance to chat with us about Paul-André and what he was doing. We had another visit from our newspaper seller today, but this time he just kept quiet and seemed to enjoy the piece! Check out the interview below, an artist disscusses how Paul-André's Solo 30x30 inspires her to draw, and of course we had lots of people taking thier own photos and videos of Solo 30x30.

Performance - Day Twelve

Wonderful weather today brought us families passing by and children intrigued to find out what was going on. With the Spitalfields close by we had lots of young students watching as well as tourists searching for the market! As with last weekend, people had more time on thier hands and seemed to engage with the performance more, asking questions and chatting with us all.

Performance - Day Eleven

Another great Saturday with lots of people coming by to watch the whole performance. We had a lot to contend with today including skateboarders using the space as a skate park! The sporting events taking place today brought us a few trouble makers, one of whom decided to jump in and join Paul-André in the space and perform his own solo! Fortunatly Paul-André was not disturbed spatially and the univited dancer left the space when asked. Aside from this we had more and more people asking us questions about the piece and people of all ages showing interest. It is really interesting to hear what the children think of the piece! Paul-André was surprised to see three vistiors from Bolzano, Italy, who were from the festival where Solo 30x 3o was presented in August. They enjoyed the piece and discussed with Paul-André how different it looks in London compared to in Italy.

Performance - Day Ten

Another very busy day today with almost 600 people stopping by. As the days go on, people are becoming more interactive, asking questions and commenting about the piece. We are starting to see workers stop more often rather than walk straight past and people are recognising that it is here every day. Comments like, "It's that dance thing again", were heard from lots of City workers passing by! Students from Kent and Middlesex Universities came specifically to watch the whole piece today and had some interesting views that we are sure they will take back to their fellow students.

Associate Projects - Guildhall School Update 2

This has been a hectic but really exciting week for the composers involved in the project. The scores and tape-parts were all completed in the last few days. We've each seen Paul-Andre perform the dance quite a few times now: familiarity with the choreography has been essential for crafting our individual musical responses.

I've been looking over everyone's scores and trying to find the best running-order for the performance. Since these pieces are all going to be performed while Paul-Andre is dancing, it's really crucial that we get the shaping and timing of the music just right.

It's been fascinating to look over what everyone has written and to see how each composer has reacted differently to the dance. The music as a whole is incredibly varied. At times it's spacious and reflective, at others it's intense and pretty wild.

One thing we're all really excited about is that Paul-Andre told us he doesn't want to hear any of the music before he dances with it (even though rehearsals have already begun). That way, the performance will be a completely fresh, one-off interaction between our music and his dance.

It's a potentially risky situation and that's what we all love about it.

Ed Finnis
Composer

Performance - Day Nine

It was nice and sunny today! We were one staff member short today and it was our busiest day with just under 650 people viewing the performance! Although it was extremely busy, lots of audience members were keen to chat with us, which is always so nice. Yesterday we had some fellows watch from the safe distance of a construction site they were working at...today they came down to watch up close and personal. We love how this performance draws people in!

We've been sent another flikr site with some absolutely stunning shots, so have a look at these wonderful photos...

Interview with student from Middlesex University

Performance - Day Eight

Today we had blue bicycle-marketing-things to contend with during the set-up! There is something new every day that we learn how to negotiate. It just adds to what feels like a very organic process, so we don't mind.

We noticed someone today who has watched previously, this time he was accomapnied by a friend. After a quick chat, he disclosed he works in a near-by building and found the piece fascinating. We've encouraged him to bring all his colleagues along!

We've also been chatting to people who we notice making little movies and taking pics, we keep telling them about the blog, so hopefully soon we'll have more blogs and videos from spectators to add to our own growing collection of pictures and video clips.

Performance - Day Seven

Our first day of rain and altogether a totally different experience. Of course Paul-André is used to performing in the wet, but the team setting up got thoroughly soaked and their efforts to sweep puddles away from the performance space proved ineffective as the rain fell harder and harder. Passers-by were generally less inclined to stop for more than a few minutes, although a number of die-hards arrived early with umbrellas to claim their spot and lasted the full 30 minutes. A number of people watched from the protective distance of Costa and McDonalds.

In other news, we are thrilled to announce we have our first 'associate artist' from the general public! Check out this blog for a great little clip filmed by Jonathan yesterday.

Interview with spectator

Attempting to clear the space of water

Not too wet to stop and watch...

DU team members looking slightly soggy

Performance - Day Six

Our hearts sank on arrival today. Another van was parked right in the middle of the performance area again. Luckily it left by 1.10pm. Two of the staff members were new to the piece today, so they got to learn the ropes as they went. There are ten of us who are working on a rotation at the show over the next 30 days. We're in orange, so make sure you say hello if you spot us (we're hard to miss actually - see below). If you've got any questions, we're happy to have a chat. As is Paul-Andre after the show. We noticed lots of people making videos or taking pictures on their phones today. So if you were one of them and want to share it with us, drop us an email and tell us where you've put your files. Our friendly street-sweeper called out a happy 'Alright Jim?' in the middle of the show today. We're going to have to see if he'll let us interview him before the run has finished!

Performance - Day Five

Everything went smoothly today, no problems with set-up at all! Probably because Sundays are a bit more peaceful at Liverpool St! Staff chatted to passers-by and a few mentioned they had happened upon the piece by accident, and coincidentally enough, had also happened upon our other outdoor piece Transports Exceptionnels by Compagnie Beau Geste, which was on at Jubilee Gardens on the Southbank this weekend.

Performance - Day Four

Our first weekend. The crowd on the weekend is quite different. We noticed more people stopped for longer. Not as many people were rushing, rushing, rushing. It was a lot more relaxed. A number of people arrived early, including a group of students from Surrey, and took prime positions on the steps. We even had a barman come from a nearby pub, saying he wasn't on a break, but he loved dance!

Interview with a student from Surrey University