Circadian

Circadian is a 24 hour work comprising of 24 solos. The first soloist is a child and each subsequent soloist is older until the last dancer 24 hours later is in their 70s. Each solo is approximately 12 minutes long and is performed on the hour every hour for the duration. Circadian took place in a 5 metre circle on the raked sand on Lowestoft Beach as part of the First Light Festival. The work was commissioned by First Light Festival and Dance East. Each solo was accompanied by a song composed and performed by Isaac Lee-Kronick. The Dancers were all from or connected to East Anglia. My research questions for this project were, how can I create a solo that will be possible for 24 dancers of all ages to perform, how much repetition and variation is possible, how will the audience respond to the ongoing nature of the concept, how will the dances work during the night, how with the work sit within the context of a festival. What changes will the light, the sand condition and weather bring to the process of making and performing the work. How transferable is the concept to an indoor site and a relay of solos rather than on th hour every hour.