NOBLEMOTION CELEBRATED SEASON 15 with

POWER PLAY

NobleMotion kickstarted its 15^th season with Power Play, a radical evening of dance at MATCH, July 21-22 and 28-29 at 8:00 PM and July 30 at 4:00 PM. Power Play employed artificial intelligence, multi-media design, and NobleMotion’s trademark physicality to portray societal structures and the changing role of technology. Section 6 immersed the audience in a simulated A.I. training program as dancers invited participants into the action-packed performance. Sidelined playfully looked at power dynamics as it created an absurd world where baseball umpires define the rules of the workplace. And Half-told Stories revealed a pivotal moment in the life of four women and featured a collaboration with composer/multimedia artist Badie Khaleghian.

About the dances

What is Section 6 ? This immersive dance simulates an A.I. training program that’s sole objective is to learn human tendencies. Eleven lucky audience members were invited onstage to encounter a movement experience where the “dancing companions” train the audience to be more human. These participants were guided into different locations throughout the performance and asked to intimately engage with the dancers. Fascinating to watch, both inside and out, participants served as space holders of human architecture while the dance erupted around them in an environment of A.I. generated projection design by Boston-based multi-media artist Jeremy Stewart and an original sound score by Travis Lake. In one section, the participants even lie on the floor as the dancers perform over them. “It is a witty and totally unique work,” Andy Noble states, “experiences like these don’t come along very often!”

Sidelined brought a winner-take-all mentality to the dance floor with the umpire portrayed as the ultimate hero/villain. Since 2017, there has been substantial decline of youth baseball and softball umpires due to abusive treatment from parents. This reflects a larger issue. In this 40-minute athletic dance, everyone was vying for the umpire mask so they might have the power to change the rules. A commentary on consumerism, power structures, and cancel culture, this dance explored the question, “why does everyone feel so Sidelined?”

Half-told Stories revealed the secrets of four women and the community they built to support one another other. As part of the collaboration, each performer shared stories of an influential woman or experience in their lives. Their stories influenced the creation of the music, projection design, and movement. Themes of courage, independence, and forgiveness come to the forefront. Badie Khaleghian composed an original score and created an immersive projection landscape that surrounds the performers in the work.

Collaborators include movement artists Wesley Cordova, Fiona Dorr, Colette Kerwick, Lindsey McGill, Tyler Orcutt, Jacob Regan, Lauren Serrano, Joseph Stevens, Zane Unger, Angelica Villa, Dillon Bell, Madeline Payne, light designer Bryan Ealey, A.I./multimedia artist Jeremy Stewart, composer/multimedia artist Badie Khaleghian, composer Travis Lake, and photography by Lynn Lane.