What’s all this talking about? Once it’s said, they’ll be nothing left

The performance provocation and separate, precursor paper were part of the performer training working group at the TaPRA 2016 conference. The theme for the working group was speech and text in performer training.This proposal is for a 10 minute performed, position statement and additional written paper in response to the conference sub-theme of ‘dance and movement: the physical and verbal body’. The provocation derives from a practice-as-research PhD engaged with philosophical considerations of Voice and Being and an examination of how speech impacts the performance and perception of female contemporary dancers’ identities. Therefore, this provocation will be presented through a collage of talking-moving improvisations that have emerged through research in the area of contemporary dance and speech in live performance. Anticipated discussion topics relate to the dialogue between speech and movement; the physicality of the speech act; and the talking-moving practice as a performance of self and a challenge to fixed identities. The research was founded through the recognition of speech in current contemporary dance performance as commonplace in contrast to a history of the dancer as a muted object. However, the inclusion of speech in contemporary dance work is usually set against a training that lacks experimentation with voice, speech and text. Therefore, this research creatively explores the potential for speech to influence the reception of female dancer identity through an integrated performance practice. The following questions have emerged through the research and will be presented for discussion: 1. What am I willing and able to say about myself in live dance performance? 2. What can speaking in live dance performance allow/achieve that movement alone cannot? The practice is currently in development with a variety of audiences who inform the content and performer-receiver relationship in each iteration