Eric Avery

In starting my residency at Critical Path I wanted to explore how I could use my spoken Language (Ngiyampaa) as a choreographic device to inspire movement; what processes I could engage with to not just “use counts” to shape movement; and explore the use of phonetics and melodic contours of language to choreograph.

Research Room residency - Critical Path

My research time at Critical Path was aimed at researching and collating my materials for use when engaged in the Drill Hall - researching ways in which to use language as a resource when choreographing. An important step was discovering the word “Wakaymali” -”Wakanha” in Ngiyampaa and Wiradjuri means “to dance”. The root of the word “Wakanha” is actually “Wakaymali” - and means “To sing to cause to dance”. This sets up a direct relationship between dance and music in Ngiyampaa culture. THE SOUND COMES BEFORE THE DANCE. The dance is a reaction to the sound.

Knowing this word was of great help to me as it provided a tangible process that I could engage in my time in the studio with Vicki - investigating how sound can be an impetus for movement.

Drill Hall Mentorship/Residency - Vicki Van Hout

From the onset Vicki impressed the importance of process work and I learned along the way her style of process work and we both engaged in research and then various tasks on the floor exploring how to make dance using sound as an impetus for movement.

Of the many things we had discovered - Symatics (physical matter moving because of sound waves forming elaborate patterns) was a phenomenon that stood out for us. In using a home-made Symatic Tube we were able to cause red sand particles to move from yelling or singing very loudly in the other end of the tube. The formations and patters made from the sound waves looked like people moving in the sand.

Another aspect I wanted to explore in the studio is how I could illustrate the rising and falling of pitch when speaking in my movement vocabulary. I explored with Vicki ways I could “trace” this contour into red sand. I then took this idea of tracing in the sand and repeated the same tracing pattern I did in the sand in different levels in the body. As an extension of this I also explored how I could use my violin playing as an impetus for movement to reflect “wakaymali”, imitating in my body the rise and fall of melodies in the violin. I still feel I want to explore this further.

Early on in the process Vicki and I were exploring what I could say thematically with the content I was exploring. The Liberal Party’s argument to remove section 18C from the constitution was an idea that worried us - to imagine a country where anyone can engage in racial slander publicly and for there not to be consequences for it was quite scary - being Aboriginal in this country we face racism all the time. I get followed around shops continually and one week before got pulled up by cops for looking “suspicious” (I was wearing a hoodie) - one thing I started to ask - was this discrimination?

Someone assuming I will steal because I have dark skin in my opinion is discrimination.

To explore this in the mentorship we fashioned a task - to dress in traditional aboriginal dress, brandish a Buunthii (hunting club) and go shopping.