“I was thinking about spaces of queer refuge, and what better space than the dance floor?” Carlon says of the work, which explores themes of grief and devotion through his experiences as a queer, Filipinx artist. “I thought the best place for this grief ritual to happen would be a space where queer and BIPOC folks feel safe, and often that is in the dark warehouse spaces at four in the morning.”
In October 2024, Carlon curated a one-night-only event that included the premiere of “Wake,” performances from Asian drag collective Send Noods, local artists selling their wares, a tarot card reader—and, of course, an active dance floor.
Carlon is not the only dance artist finding fodder in club spaces and rave culture. In fact, in recent years, these sorts of dance works have proliferated. Sharon Eyal’s “R.O.S.E.” transformed New York City’s Park Avenue Armory into a participatory rave/performance experience last fall, and Jennifer Archibald’s commission for the Washington Ballet, “LucidNoise,” which premiered in February, was inspired by the underground raving scene.
Dance artists are also looking towards dance and electronic music producers as sonic collaborators. Wayne McGregor and Kyle Abraham have used the work of lauded electronic composer Jlin, while Oona Doherty has developed a lasting professional relationship with popular English DJ and producer Jamie xx. Last fall, commercial wunderkind Zoï Tatopoulos collaborated with 070 Shake on a one-night-only dance performance, “A Night at the Ballet,” to launch the musician’s latest album.
Faye Stoeser and Hannah Ekholm, who perform as a dance duo under the name Ekleido, recently collaborated with DJ and producer Floating Points (who is also Ekholm’s romantic partner) for a double bill at DanceEast in Ipswich, UK. “I feel like contemporary dance is meant to be of the now, and electronic music is of the now,” says Stoeser. “It makes sense that these collaborations are starting to happen.”
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