Choreography as

Research

Katharine Hawthorne Dancer & Choreographer

techné “Because the essence of technology

is nothing technological, essential

reflection upon technology and

decisive confrontation with it must

happen in a realm that is, on the

one hand, akin to the essence of

technology and, on the other,

fundamentally different from it.

Such a realm is art.”

Heidegger

Form + Content • Content inspired by structure of physical world

– Analog: mechanics of human motion

– Lumen / Lux: light as a movement element

• Exploration of physical states

• Studio as a laboratory, rehearsal as research

through the medium of the body in motion and

human experience

Excerpt from Lumen / Lux

“Three Person Machine” from Analog

Experiments in Thought & Motion

• “Ambiguity is an essential part of art.” – Alan

Lightman

• Kuhn’s insight: Science is about answering

questions within a paradigm

• Improvisation = stochastic process

• Process & Performance contain elements of

indeterminacy

“Rattling” Duet from Analog

“Electricity/Toaster”

Duet from Analog

Structure • Performance as a complex system

• Real-time decision making

• Movement phrase work as container

“Phrase 1” from Analog

Thank you!

Katharine Hawthorne

kmhawthorne@gmail.com

www.khawthorne.net

© Katharine Hawthorne 2013

Photos by Ben Hersh & Hollis Nolan

Sculpture by Dan Grayber

Video by Loren Robertson & Sean Smuda