Joe Moran, On The Habit of Being Oneself

Joe Moran, choreographer and artistic director of Dance Art Foundation, wants audiences to be more involved with dance performances than they normally are. He does not want patrons sitting in a theatre and passively observing what’s developing on stage.

So, On The Habit of Being Oneself, which will premiere in September at Sadler’s Wells’ Lilian Baylis Studio, starts in a room devoid of seats. At the room's centre, there is a large screen.

The audience is invited to circulate and watch a filmed dance performance, different sections of which are shown on either side of the screen.

For the second part of On the Habit of Being Oneself, the seats are restored and a live performance, consisting of one solo and one ensemble piece, takes place.

Joe Moran’s choreographic language is one of perpetual movement. Dancers are given precise directions, but no fixed steps. Each dancer individually creates a narrative but, taken together, another narrative emerges.

These are not linear narratives, though: they're intriguing and thought-provoking. Moran’s aim is to lead the audience into thinking of dance and dancing bodies in a new, stimulating way, to ask questions, engage with puzzles, and become actively involved in extending dance's potential as an art form that exists beyond the stage.

On the basis of a short rehearsal, we can tell you the movement in On The Habit of Being Oneself is completely hypnotic. Should you want a more extensive explanation of what it’s all about, the very eloquent Joe Moran will oblige at a post-show talk on the first night.

Free post-show talk: Thursday