Des Corps / Of Bodies

Sapphonix Collective

Louis Stein, projection mapping and visuals

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The Calm before the Storm

Banquet Celeste                                                                                                        Olivier Messiaen 

Glass                                                                                                                                    Hania Rani

Cantus in Memorium Benjamin Britten                                     Arvo Pärt arr. Esther-Ruth Teel

Dialogue on a Caribbean Lullaby                                        Maria Gajraj and Emmanuel Lacopo       

 

The Storm 

Offrande et Alleluia                                                                                                 Olivier Messiaen

Ave Maris Stella chant and final (Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux)                      Nicolas de Grigny                                      

 

The Sun

streaming upward on its heavenly oils                                                           Esther-Ruth Teel

Sun                                                                                                                                     Hania Rani

Desseins Eternels                                                                                                    Olivier Messiaen    Evening Song                                                                                                                 Philip Glass

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The Calm Before the Storm

Our program begins with footage of two queer bodies in a dry autumn forest. These opening images and the accompanying sounds portray tenderness, queer love, the static peace of being partnered, and queer bodies existing in the wilderness, apart from the pressures of societal norms. The music reflects the tenderness and static peace of the projected scene. 

The Storm

The next section contains more active footage: waves crashing, a solitary figure in a snow storm, a single dancer in an alley; this represents the tumultuousness of the sapphic experience, the discordance of existing in a queer body in a society that is structured against us; the fearlessness of queer bodies to continue to dance and flourish despite the elements (societal or otherwise)

The Sun

The closing section returns to peaceful music and visuals. The storm has passed, the sun shines once more. We see a singular body walking into the ocean, alone but at peace. This final segment symbolizes passing through the turbulence of self-doubt, ignoring the pressure to conform, and rejoicing in one’s personhood: a queer body simply existing within a larger body of water, without having to explain or defend oneself.