ADAM JOHN ROBERTS

This trio performance was based on my artistic journey as a dancer with cognitive learning difficulties of which are strongly implied to be autism. I wanted to base this autobiographical work on the deeply personal negatives of that journey that was inspired by textual stimuli I called memoirs about discouragement, exclusion, conflict and resilience. These memoirs were titled questions posed for myself to answer which I read to the dancers in the process. I highlighted excerpts from those memoirs in different colours to guide how I wanted myself and my collaborators to explore them, either in duos or as soloists.

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I wanted to collaborate with other dance artists who were experienced in facilitating people with autism and I wanted to see their interpretations of my personal experience as a response to the creative text as a form of autobiographical practice. I wanted the movement style within this autobiographical work to be symbolic, so I interfaced the original concept with select Batman characters – Batman himself, Catwoman and the Penguin. When I encountered ‘the rigid penguin’ these characters immediately occurred. The Penguin was a manipulative villain who was socially rejected due to the difference concerning his appearance.

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I viewed documentaries about bats, cats and penguins then looked for characteristics linked to the common traits demonstrated by people with autism, including myself, to transcribe and highlight the relevant information to devise movement from. This research was found in documentaries and literature that was linked to characteristics of the typical autist. For instance, Kathy Hoopmann’s All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome (2006) was a basic definition of what such a condition is about. My collaborators were already experienced in the field of autism that affects approximately 1 in 64% of individuals as they were previously introduced to the condition in family members and client group members, but I introduced them to Hoopmann’s source. Not only was this source relevant to this choreographic project but its definition of autism was simplistic and metaphorical due to the use of cats, their characteristics and how the traits of autism demonstrated by a mildly, moderately or severely autistic child or adult can be comparable.

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Professor James Simmons (n.d.) stated that bats have a sixth sense linked to the tactile senses of touch, sight and sound. The bat can crash into obstacles if its ears are blocked. The bat needs sound to navigate the world. Should the bat’s ears and mouth be blocked, it can crash into obstacles and hit the ground if it cannot emit ultrasound which it needs to navigate the world to get a stroboscopic picture of the environment. Bats are also solitary. This means they live by themselves, as according to my research, which is typical of autists within a social environment. People with autism are infamous for their hyper-sensitivity to the other senses (i.e. taste and smell).

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My collaborators’ roles also reflected upon all the role models and other characters I have met, male and female, good and bad, pop culture and experiential learning.

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The other creative tasks provided were structured improvisation with an umbrella as a prop and duets, including one between my collaborators examining how a cat would catch/play/bite a bat. I wanted this duet to be dualistic yet animalistic. The other duets represented the conflict between me and some of my previous non-autistic peers. I wanted one of my collaborators to translate one of these duets into a solo, focusing on one anonymous peer as the main character whilst also considering the thought of envy, failure, the struggle of a woman, domination versus wrath and resentment compared with the characteristics of a cat and how it feels when it gets wet. I experimented with moving whilst tied up in strings of material to represent the feel of being discouraged.

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All these creative methodologies formed a drawn dance score that remotely informed the structure, including its beginning, middle and end which made the planning regards structuring easy.

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In accordance to my feedback report, this was an interestingly well-choreographed piece of work. It was a layered piece working complexly to apply an autobiographical perspective on seminal pop cinematic roles, i.e. Batman, Catwoman and the Penguin. I was a solid contributor throughout the tutorial process, articulating my artistic intent and listening to feedback from peers and tutors. The final product proved how much I was trying to convey in between 7-10 minutes what actually needed more time to unravel and reveal. That would give me the opportunity to expand its development of each character, time to unfold the narrative and metaphor. Finally, time to hone my practice of working with a small group as opposed to a solo to the fullest. There were the bones of a very good/excellent dance work that is worthy of spending more time to flesh it out, so that it could attain the potential that it promises.

 

References

 

Batman Returns (1992) [film] Directed by Tim Burton. USA: Warner Bros. (126 minutes)

 

Hoopmann, K. (2006) All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

 

John Wall (2014) Secrets and Mysteries of Bats – Nature Documentary [online video]

Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCbZHvsX1dk

[Accessed: 6th March 2017]