River Being was initiated in 2018 and has meandered its way through different formats to become the durational performance that premiered in Bern Switzerland and toured in Europe in Summer 2022. Living in cities with rivers, we became fascinated and focused on the constant work and activity of these living systems. What could we learn from individual rivers about labour, force and adaptability? With the increased awareness of the fragility and power of the natural world, how on a local level could we hit refresh on the relationship between rivers and city dwellers, to encourage noticing, empathy and care.

 

River Being: is a performance walk where the performers highlight the contours of the individual topography, the artificial and natural features of the river. They move in relationship and in dialogue with the river's sounds, rhythms and movements. Accompanied by sound from 10 wireless speakers, that the performers transport along the river, they work their way through a number of compositions and scores encountering different parts and personalities of the river’s system. The river acts as a collaborative partner in the performance as the composition is arranged unique to each location, recognisable as the work itself but ultimately the team creates a bespoke performance with every new river the work meets. River Being gives voice to the river through text soundscapes and highlight it’s physical qualities in the body and through costume. Dressed in graphic and vibrant suits that stand in stark contrast to the river banks and the natural environment, functional enough so that the dancers can move in and on wet soil and partially submerged in the river.

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