A dance/media performance inspired by a short story by Italo Calvino, NightDriving connects choreography for the stage with dance for the camera, exploring interactions, in space and in time, between performance and projection. Video imagery is projected on a large transparent scrim stretching across the front of the stage. On the scrim we see the video, and behind the scrim we see the dancers, live on the multi-leveled stage, sharing the visual environment with the projections.

The curtain rises. Suspended over a darkened stage, ghostly apparitions slowly twist and spin. A dancer bursts into view, quickly joined by another dancer. Watching the complex interplay of movement between the dancers, it slowly dawns on you – one of the performers is live, and the other is a projection on a transparent screen covering the stage.

As more dancers appear on the stage, more video dancers appear on the screen, images transforming from soft and ethereal to bright and colorful, weaving threads of digital imagery into the intricate tapestry of contemporary dance.

Inspiration

The name NightDriving references The Night Driver, written in 1967 by Italo Calvino. On one level this short story is an evocative narrative about two people and a night journey in which one reaches out to the other. On another level it's about the complexity of relationships - how we construct non-linear connections (hyperlinks) among various versions of our "real" and "imaginary" selves. And on another level it depicts a virtual world where the messenger becomes the medium and the medium becomes the message

We use the Calvino story for inspiration, as a springboard for images and ideas. We are not literally "telling" the story in the dance or video.

More Information

NightDriving is available for staging as a group work for ten to twelve dancers. For more details, see the NightDriving Overview and the NightDriving Technical Diagram.

Links

• NightDriving - Performance Gallery
• NightDriving - Documentary
• NightDriving Overview (pdf)
• NightDriving Technical Diagram
• Calvino's The Night Driver (English translation)

Production date: February 2003

Venues

Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine, California.

Credits

John Crawford - Media design, projection and stage design

Lisa Naugle - Choreography

Alan Terricciano - Music

Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz - Lighting

Linda Davisson - Costumes

Dancers:

Kelly Bixby

Briana Bowie

Melonie Buchanon

Alison Dietterle-Smith

Colette Harding

Patrizia Herminjard

Alyssa Honeycutt

Donald Laney

Mark Macaranas

Jessica Pierce

Mandarin Wu

Video Shoot Assistants:

Elisha Griego

Jeffy Hill

Pei-Yi Ko

Chrissie Munich

Leah Springman

Rehearsal Assistant:

Veronica Donohoo

Stage Manager:

Sara Overgaard

Assistant Stage Managers:

Emily Caster

Jennifer Matthews

Additional Production Support:

Keith Bangs

Ron Cargile

Scott Collins

Toby Weiner