"She was a knife thrower's assistant"
Playing the same character. Some kind of double. We are both she.
Solo dances at the same time. Different songs at the same time. Looking for a voice. Looking for a song.
Putting your words in my mouth. Keeping your nerve.
When the knives are out, at least you know where the danger is coming from.
Stand there, no, not there, there.
Whatever you do, don't move.
Devised and performed by Caroline Bowditch and Fiona Wright
Music: Alanis Morrissette, Crazy. (Live performance now includes cover version by Danbeat).
Other song sources: James Taylor, Sweet Baby James. Neil Young, Like A Hurricane. Steve Miller, The Joker. The Carpenters, Close To You. Leonard Cohen, Bird On A Wire. Hunters & Collectors, Throw Your Arms Around Me.
Costumes: Sarah Lowes
Lighting Advice: Jeanine Davies
"She was a knife thrower's assistant..." was premiered at Dublin Dance Festival, May 2008 and other performances have included Richmix, London, June 2009 and DaDa festival 2010.
Supported by Arts Council of England with additional support in kind from Dance City, Newcastle.
Deliciously costumed in turquoise and chocolate-brown satin (...) the two shared the fantasy and the irony of this female icon whose fame (and life) depended on her ability to remain perfectly still. (...) The title alone recalls those travelling acts which toured American gold rush towns, peddling quack medicines or conjuring feats. The advertisement for the Knife Thrower's Assistant had probably read "must have long legs or nerves of steel, preferably both"...
Irish Times
