Read by the Juilliard Orchestra on April 24, 2023. 
Jeffrey Milarsky, conductor

As if sharing a joke with nothingness (2023) for orchestra

Culture is the Body III -- Our Energy (2022)
for 2 Gametraks, Eight-Channel Live Electronics 
Composer: Chloe Liuyan Liu 
Choreographer: Katelyn Connor
Performers: Katelyn Connor; Chloe Liuyan Liu
Percussion Samples: Big Tom
Stereo Mixing: Remo Zhang
Photo: Noam Niv

The interactive music series Culture is the Body is a response to the Japanese theatre director Tadashi Suzuki’s book of the same title. Suzuki’s insistence on the use of animal energy in theatre impactfully calls for a re-evaluation of our relationship with our body in the modern world. When expressing the idea of “culture is the body,” Suzuki asserts a pessimistic view of today’s technology — that it alienates us from our body, and therefore our culture. Interactive music, however, presents the possibility of bridging technology and our body. Body movements trigger microscopic data streams, which instantly transform into sounds. This process of turning body movements directly into corresponding musical expressions encourages a stronger body awareness.

In an age where technology is rapidly advancing, I urge us to pause and reflect on our physical existence through this interactive music series. Can we still feel our body? Can we bring our body with us into the next development of technology? In Our Energy, the third exploration of Culture is the Body, two performers constantly initiate, share, and define body energy. I want to thank Katelyn Connor for bringing her rich perspective on body energy and movements as a contemporary dancer to this composition.

I hope you enjoy the visual aspect of this composition via the YouTube link: youtu.be/6VKz4BJFrPs?si=TNTPFBZY61n8AvVc

Culture is the Body III -- Our Energy (2022)

Chloe-Liuyan

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