2006 / 11 min 20 sec
This selection is an erotic fantasy using fabric to represent long, thick hair as the ideal of feminine beauty. The fabric is sensually wrapped, binding the hands around the body. The music evokes images of snake charmers and this concept is used in the design of the piece.
In the opening moments the aesthetically wrapped human form is balanced precariously on a folding chair. By using upside down balances and movements of the feet a slow unwinding of images is created. The mood is precarious, almost circus-like as the dancer creates a dare-devil feeling of suspension.
The goal is to unwrap the fabric from the body without using the hands while completing three concentric circles around the chair. The first circle, lowest to the ground, uses flat surfaces of the bones to shift body weight. The second occurs at mid-level while the mouth is used to untie the fabric. The final passage is soft and flowing as fragments of the fabric become loosened.
Using only her feet, the performer pulls the fabric from her head as if shedding a layer of skin only to be caught once more as if in a spider’s web. Thus the full title: I ALWAYS WANTED A HEAD OF HAIR BUT I LOVE MY FEET.