FALSE DUALISM (2024)
CHOREOGRAPHERS AND DANCERS: MADISON DOMANSKI AND SADIE TUCKER
LOCATION: NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (EAST BUILDING)
*click photo below to view the full performance*
FALSE DUALISM (2024) was created by Madison Domanski and Sadie Tucker in collaboration with Corcoran music production student, Schuyler Van Tassell. Both gaining inspiration from the sculptures that make up the East Building in the National Gallery of Art, Van Tassell created the score Domanski and Tucker set choreography to. The pair were specifically drawn to Alexander Calder’s mobile piece Untitled. From the coloring to the intertwining of two distinct sections making up the vast structure, upon first sight the duo knew this was what they were going to dance under. It was only after the first performance that they were pleasantly surprised to find out that the mobile can actually be moved by wind currents despite typically looking stationary. It was the realization that it was their impact of dancing under it that made it move that made the whole experience that much more memorable. Driven by the inspiration that made up the entire Modulating Movements performance that this piece concluded, Domanski was especially set on utilizing the walkways and crowds of people throughout the piece. Thus, not only would this be a traveling performance as a whole, but the piece would also travel through space on its own. Being friends of many years, creating a piece centered in connection and trust was a feat that came very naturally. The level of connection in the piece ranged from none, to eye contact, slight touch, to full sharing of weight at the end. While creating, the pair noted the “checkpoints” Tassell integrates into his score which helped them separate the piece out into more manageable sections.
Collaboration with Dream of Infinity:
Another wish of Domanski’s was for each of the 10 pieces that made up the performance to blend seamlessly into one another. The piece that preceded FALSE DUALISM was Dream of Infinity choreographed and performed by Ana Arledge. To create the transition between the two, Domanski and Tucker met with Arledge after their initial drafts had been shown to not only make their pieces work with the gallery spacing but to also create movement to finish out Arledge’s track to then lead right into the duet’s track. Combining ideas that each party already had in mind helped make the flow come across that much more natural, especially with Arledge being left at the end of the walkway with Domanski and Tucker alone bringing the audience back in to wrap up the performance.
*click photo above to view the full performance*
FALSE DUALISM (FOR THE STAGE) (2024)
CHOREOGRAPHERS AND DANCERS: MADISON DOMANSKI AND SADIE TUCKER
LOCATION: BUILDING J AT THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
When met with the opportunity to re-stage this work, Domanski and Tucker were met with the challenge of turning a site-specific work created for the site it was originally performed in, to the stage. The main change was the absence of Arledge opening the piece with the duo in the transition section that was performed at the Gallery. Instead, Domanski created a solo taking pieces of the choreography that was taken out to pay homage to Arledge along with them wearing navy under each of their tops rather than their original red (navy being the color of Arledge’s costume). Tucker, along with matching Domanski’s motif movements, also created continuous video of Calder’s mobile rotating in the gallery to be projected onto a screen behind them throughout the performance. Tucker also explored with new ways the duo can take up space while performing now that they had almost double the amount of space to perform in.