Poetry in Motion

Instincts for dance, a choreographic translation of Emily Dickinson’s poetry
13 July, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the CICUS (Centro de Iniciativas Culturales de la Universidad de Sevilla).
Choreography: Adeline Chevrier-Bosseau

Livestream access available for registered virtual conference participants. 

Tickets: The registration form asks if you will attend the “Poetry in Motion” dance performance, “Instincts for Dance.” If you have checked “Yes,” there will be a ticket in your registration folder. If you did not previously sign up and would like to attend, please let the registration table staff know so that they can give you a ticket.

This performance is part of Adeline Chevrier-Bosseau’s five-year research project that investigates how Dickinson’s poetry can be embodied and translated in the language of classical ballet. It will feature 12 choreographic translations of a selection of Dickinson’s poems. Dancing Dickinson’s “spasmodic gait” requires a reevaluation of the narrativity, grammar, and rhythm of the normative art form of classical ballet and an investigation in queer movement.

The pas de quatre “Seraphic May” evokes the playfulness of Dickinson’s “childhood” poems, featuring children and small animals (birds and bees); “A still – Volcano life” condenses Dickinson’s “volcano” poems; “The Spider as an Artist” the “spider” ones. Other group pieces include “The Malay – took the Pearl” (pas de trois), “Wild Nights” (pas de deux), “I started Early, took my Dog,” and “This World is not conclusion.” Other soli focus on one or two poems, such as “They put us far apart / I cannot live with you,” danced to Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte, and “He touched me, so I live to know,” “My Cocoon tightens – Colors tease,” “A Route of Evanescence,” and “I cannot dance upon my toes.”

This project is a collective choreographic research endeavor with young professional dancers, who were encouraged to propose their own choreographic interpretation of some of the poems.

For the performance program and libretto, click here.

Updates, more rehearsal photos, and clips are regularly posted on the EDIS Instagram account. Follow us on https://www.instagram.com/emily_dickinson_society/