Collaborator: A. P. Vague
Location: MASS MoCA, Building B6
Photographer: Carolina Porras-Monroy

“Dance for Radio” is a collaborative project with multidisciplinary artist A. P. Vague that explores the concept of scoring and communicating movement and dance through sound.

In “Dance for Radio,” Vague created twelve audio pieces that serve as a score for movement. Each piece is 4 minutes and 33 seconds long, filmed in various locations on the MASS MoCA campus. The twelve musical compositions, created in the PureData programming environment, experiment with choreographing dance using only audio. The sound consists of a continuous Fmaj7 chord, with each note in the chord changing in volume and timbre. The highest note (E) corresponds to the head, neck, or spine of the dancer’s body, while the other notes (F, C, A) correspond to the limbs—legs, left arm, and right arm, respectively. As the notes change, the dancer responds with movement, with louder and more abrasive sounds prompting larger, more expansive motions.

This process differs from traditional choreography, as the dance is not directly written or created by a choreographer, but instead translates the abstract sound and its relationship to the industrial environment.

The concept behind this project draws inspiration from the challenges—and possible joys—of communicating through unconventional formats. As dance is an art form typically performed in the moment and in situ, “Dance for Radio” explores how dance can occur through displacement.

The project reflects experiences shared by both Brace and Vague, each of whom grew up in remote areas with limited access to live performing arts. Vague had only limited means to experience music and dance, sometimes reading music magazine descriptions of records they could not hear or interviews with choreographers whose work they could only imagine. Similarly, Brace sought creative outlets through fashion magazines and ballet classes, which required a two-hour round-trip drive.

“Dance for Radio” embraces the immaterial nature of connection, creating a format that exists in translation. It aims to reach a non-traditional audience for dance, blending creative coding, audio art, and performance. This project will be performed in the Maine landscape and exhibited as a video projection and/or live performance in contemporary art spaces.