enso, 1998

Ros Warby, Enso

photo courtesy of the artist

Ros Warby, Enso

Enso is a trio for dance, cello and voice. The work was developed from an improvisation practice developed over eight years between Ros Warby and cellist Helen Mountfort. The work focuses on the choreography between improvised movement and sound, refining and tuning this relationship to produce a carefully crafted work, simple and sparse in structure allowing the subtle complexities of movement and sound to resonate in intimate ways with the onlooker.

In Enso, the performers are tuning to one another and the space, composing spontaneously, responding to what the environment offers, and exploiting its haunting acoustics and unusual spatial dimensions. Their journey is a meditation through movement and sound. The nature of this performance practice offers an immediacy and presence to the work that stimulates and surprises both the performer and viewer simultaneously.

Designers Ben Cobham and Simon Barley collaborate in housing this delicate trio in the Wesleyan Hall, suitable for its acoustic and spatial splendour. Directorial consultant, Helen Herbertson, brought her experience and sensitivity to help tune and craft the work. [Text courtesy of the artist.]

credits: choreography Ros Warby with Helen Mountfort, performance Ros Warby (dance), Helen Mountfort (cello), Jeannie Van De Velde (voice), design Ben Cobham and Simon Barley

performances: Danceworks, the Wesleyan Hall, Melbourne, March 1998