OVERSCORE

Abstract

Overscore is a 30-minute interdisciplinary performance piece that explores the concept of breaking habit. Over her three-year graduate career, choreographer, dancer, and director Christina Robson accumulated a portfolio of choreographic studies focused on interrupting habitual movement patterns and challenging compositional structures. The choreography is composed by generating rule-based approaches to diagrammatic representation from disciplines such as classical staff-based music notation, computer source code, graphic music scores, Morse code, and written philosophies of performance theory. Overscore curates a dense collage from this collection of studies, weaving an integrated installation of dance, film, projection, light, sound, costume, and scenic design. Most of the choreographic studies that comprise Overscore transpired amidst a global pandemic, thus resourcefulness and adaptation became mechanisms for tenacity; braiding function alongside transparency as cornerstones of process-oriented performance. While revealing human error and referencing the humor, devotion and absurdism embedded in creative process and live performance, Overscore demonstrates the physical effort, mental stamina and nimble improvisation of multiple artists committing to high stakes performance structures. Overscore premiered at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on October 15, 2021, and features choreography and direction by Christina Robson, scenic design by Andrés Poch, projection design by Zavier Taylor, lighting design by Mitchell Cronin, costume design by Stephanie Parks, musical composition by Lily Gelfand and performance by Robson, Nana Edu and Tristan Koepke. This chronological document composed of anecdotal references, choreographic studies, and theoretical analyses explicates the creative research and compositional development of Overscore.