MATTER IN MOTION is a movement practice centred around
the senses and the imagination and usually set in complete darkness.
It was developed by Nanna and Nadja in 2019 and is an ongoing research into our approach to movement, dance and performance. It focuses on highlighting the creative potential of working in darkness and the importance of the senses and the imagination when moving.
Darkness offers the ideal physical and psychological space to open up worlds of imagination and creativity and therefore allows our movement experience to become more sensorial and our thought experience to become more open and abundant. It is not just a place but a state that uniquely affects how we move and think, how we see and sense our bodies as well as how we connect to who and what is around us.
With this practice it is possible to free ourselves from acculturated movement patterns and limitations. It explores the possibilities of connecting differently to our bodies, without judging them and without expectations about creating a (perfect) form. Instead, it allows ourselves to be let go of the unnecessary, become more playful and open in our approach to movement and our bodies, and in turn to other bodies and other entities.
The first layer of the practice is called SENSORIAL AWAKENING and is about being more attuned to our sensorial experiences and how the senses and imagination connect to movement.
The second layer explores the concept of TRANSLATION AND COMMUNICATION, switching between translating sensations into movements to translating movements into spoken words and then back into movements.
The third layer consist in enlivening the imagination through active guidance and what we call IMAGINATION JOURNEYS where new beings, shapes and landscapes can be encountered and transformed into movement experiences.
The last layer is focused on CREATION. Here, we use our previous explorations as roots for new creative material, usually in the form of movement, dance or performance, but also in writing, drawing and other artistic means.
All layers allow a certain independence and agency with a degree of introspection, yet they also encourage encounters with Others, relinquishing control and exploring the communal possibilities of the present moment.