Adrienne Hart: How we included BSL in our dance show PuzzleCreature

Adrienne Hart is the Artistic Director of the internationally recognised dance company Neon Dance.

PuzzleCreature is a dance work inspired by the artists Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins. Arakawa (a painter) and Gins (a poet), formed a personal and artistic partnership that lasted 40 years and spent their careers challenging the idea of ‘what it means to be a body in space’.

During the early stages of research & development at The Barbican in February 2017 we invited Jemima Hoadley (who soon after joined us as Access Coordinator) to see some early choreographic and scenographic ideas and how we were using recorded speech from the Arakawa & Gins archive; because of the specificity of their philosophy and the language used Jemima had to create approximate signs that gave form to phrases like “Reversible Destiny” and “Architectural Body”.

There was an excitement in the studio at this but also a recognition of the challenges to come as we needed to ensure a clarity of communication for British Sign Language (BSL)/Japanese Sign Language speakers and not appropriate those languages for choreographic purposes.

In May 2017, I had the opportunity to stay at Reversible Destiny Loft in Mitaka – In Memory of Helen Keller and visit The Site of Reversible Destiny – Yoro Park (both artworks by Arakawa and Gins). What struck me is how much impact a constructed space and soundless environment had on my body. Two things became apparent: I wanted to author a work where audiences were in and part of it and to create an environment in which Helen Keller had the potential to both thrive and creatively flourish.

We also forged new relationships with different groups of people who have different types of bodies in Swindon, Bristol and Wiltshire so that we could invite them into the creation period in August 2018 and offer us feedback.

During those discussions Jemima recommended that we bring in Deepa Shastri to work on the BSL and general deaf access and Chisato Minamimura to translate the recordings into JSL and teach it to the dancers. Deepa brought a wealth of insight, experience and recommendations of deaf access in the performing arts; her presence in the studio added a new level of clarity, communication and challenge.

During the creation process at Swindon Dance in August 2018 we invited a number of test audiences to offer feedback about the experience of being “inside the dome” and how the BSL and Audio Description (AD) was reading; the conversations that came out of those discussions have helped shape the work and informed my directorial choices.

“With my back to the window sitting cross legged on the floor I was able to follow the dance movement and sound and vibration. The premordial sound and the slow metamorphic de-skinning of the artefacts gave a sense of letting go of the past, casting away old baggage, possibly death and re-incarnation, though it did feel more like going forward without restraint.” – Jeff Daniels, Brizzle Connect

After agreeing on the BSL, it was translated into JSL with the support of Chisato Minamimura as the work was premiering in Japan. Chisato and Deepa led the way in translating the text from written English/Japanese into their respective forms of sign language and teaching company dancers; instead of starting each day with a dance class, the dancers spent it rehearsing both sign languages.

“I think it is brave and ambitious of Neon Dance to seek to create work with deaf audiences in mind, rather than shying away from what was a very clear vision in the works of Arakawa and Madeline Gins. The journey is ongoing and we hope that, by continuing to invite deaf people into the process we will find a way to respond to this vision.” – Jemima Hoadley

It’s been a journey made up of both challenges and rich conversations, debates and creative possibilities. I absolutely acknowledge that the BSL/JSL in PuzzleCreature is not at the same standard as someone who communicates in those forms everyday (I’ve also learnt that there is a lot of colloquialism and not everyone who speaks BSL/JSL speaks it at the same level), however it is a small attempt to stimulate new conversations between our collaborators and audiences whilst conveying the potential for human experience and different lived realities.

PuzzleCreature has one more performance, in Swindon, next week. To find out more click here. Info below:

16th Nov, Swindon Dance, Wiltshire
Regent Circus, Swindon SN1 1QF
7.30pm | £11- £9
www.swindondance.org.uk | 01793 601700