Preview from Alaine's solo text

I wrote a poem that I recorded to be used as a soundscape for my solo in Habitat. Here's a snippet of it. I hope you like it!


This is me
What am I doing here?
These four walls, pillows, closet, dressers filled with clothing and relics of the past.
A near and distant memory of homes.
Memories.
Why do you want to know?
I’m weird.
I like to sleep with the lights on.

Habitat
Directed by Alaine Handa
Choreography by Alaine Handa and Dancers
Dancers: Alaine Handa, Belinda He, Laura Lamp, and Ezekiel Oliveira
July 31- August 31, 2013 @ 1:50 pm everyday
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
C Venues, venue 34, Adam House, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Purchase tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/dance-and-physical-theatre/habitat
Habitat blog: http://www.habitatprojectahdc.blogspot.com

Habitat is supported in part by Singapore International Foundation's Singapore Internationale grant scheme (www.sif.org.sg) and Centre Stage School of the Arts (www.centre-stage.com).

Habitat of a Singaporean dancer: Kai Eng

In February, I went to the home of a Singaporean dancer, who had just moved back from living in Stockholm for a number of years. She had just moved into this apartment she shares with her boyfriend and her landlord that has typical Singapore views of government-subsidized housing called HDBs in an area that I'm not familiar with. Even though I've grown up living in Singapore, I didn't have many local friends as I attended an International school and an American school later on. Almost all of us lived in private condos and no one I knew lived in an HDB flat from my schools. I had very few local Singaporean friends who I'd met through the dance studios I trained at and through the ice rink (I used to be a figure skater). This particular dancer, I had met at the ice rink. She and I were rink buddies back in those youthful days. We sort of lost touch after I moved away from Singapore to the US but reconnected on Facebook. She became a modern dancer while in Sweden.

When we look at the Habitat we place ourselves in, it reflects a physical place of where we our in our life in that current moment. I had asked Kai why she didn't move back "home" with her mother and she replied that she was going to live with her boyfriend that moved with her from Sweden and didn't want to burden her mother. She chose her living arrangements. I believe that when we get to choose our own living arrangements, we are much happier wherever we are. We get to unleash our truest selves 24/7 instead of just behind closed doors.

Photo Credit: Alistair Chew (Visit his Tumblr blog with AMAZING Dance Photography! Tonight We Dance)

 
























 


Photo Credit: Alistair Chew (Visit his Tumblr blog with AMAZING Dance Photography! Tonight We Dance)

Her current habitat is humble and simple. Her landlord was excited to have us film and photograph in her apartment.


A BIG Thank you to Alistair Chew (Seriously check out his blog: Tonight We Dance) and Kai Eng for this photoshoot! I'll have more pics highlighted from that shoot that will be used as part of the backdrop for Habitat. 

Lauren's Habitat, Photos by Jene Youtt

Last Winter in NYC, we shot a segment in Lauren's apartment of Lauren in her natural habitat. I filmed a choreographed improvisation of gestural series on her bed, brushing her hair, picking out an outfit while photographer Jene shot the series in slow motion. We spent a couple hours shooting her from different angles.

Here are some of the pictures taken from that evening.

I love the raw vulnerability of these pictures and the calmness of Lauren's face as she was dealing with a sustained ankle injury at that time.

Many thanks to Lauren & Jene!

Photo Credit: Jene Youtt