HEAT SEEKING: a hide & seek slow dance
February 24, 2024
cSPACE Eau Claire
Theme by Desiree Nault, with Rebecca Reid & Ryan Bourne, and Caitlind Brown & Wayne Garrett
This year, we welcomed the return of the slow dance! Featuring a live band and communal movement games, this performative slow dance invited new and experienced dancers to embrace a poetic relationship to the art of moving their body alone, with, and in front of others by participating in movement games and exercises. The theme of this edition was Hiding & Seeking.
PARTICIPANTS:
Clare Duckett
Desiree Nault
Eric Heitmann
Rebecca Reid
Ryan Bourne
Wayne Garrett
Caitlind Brown
& many dancers!
Photos by Caitlind Brown, and others who borrowed the camera.
Rebecca Reid, Desiree Nault, and Caitlind Brown led the project of sculpting cSPACE Eau Claire into the ideal venue for a slow dance: complete with streamers, a glowing triple-level punch fountain, luminous curtains, and warm light. Wayne Garrett and Ryan Bourne contributed to aesthetics, but – in particular – guided the sounds unfolding over our evening of Heat Seeking.
As with the first slow dance, we started with games guided by Desiree Nault. Intended to draw people into their bodies and reduce barriers to movement, touch, and play, these games merged theatre and performance art methodologies.
Desiree introduced the night with a somatic acknowledgements of the land, movement games, and words of guidance.
After games, the band took the stage, led by Wayne Garrett (guitar) and Ryan Bourne (bass and vocals), and featuring Clare Duckett (vocals) and Eric Heitmann (keys and vocals).
The band played familiar slow dance ballads from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but with a twist: many of the tunes were super slowed down, sometimes to 50% of their usual speed. This gave the music a languid feeling, drawn out across waves of nostalgia and memory.
With each new song came a different movement prompt – some written by Desiree, others shared by dance participants. Dancers were asked to “Dance with the band without interrupting the music,” or “try to keep eye contact with someone for an entire song” – and more!
For a few brief songs, the room was plunged into darkness, and dancers were invited to move freely – keeping their eyes closed, if they dared, and trying to sense the people around them by touch and heat… literally, heat-seeking.
Eventually, some light was rekindled, and dance props were introduced – including Moon Mirrors made by Caitlind (literally reflecting the full moon in the sky above) and shimmery space blankets from Rebecca.
Probably the best photo of the night.
Thank you to everyone who came to the slow dance to explore movement, proximity, and heat with us. Extra gratitude to Desiree, Rebecca, and Ryan, for keeping the dream alive and luscious.
THE HIBERNATION PROJECT 
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