The Catch

The Catch weaves together improvisational dance, a one act play, texts written by the ensemble, and original music by Robert Hornbostel. The first part of the performance is a transformation of Michael Brayndick's one act play Fragments from the Permanent Collection into an experimental overlap of theater and dance. This piece combines traditional theatrical dialogue with improvisational dance to reveal the narrative, emotions, and more abstract elements of characters at the Art Institute of Chicago. The main characters, Albert, a love struck astronomer, and Karen, a young typist, envision their potential relationship as it might grow and change over time. The second half of the show is an exploration of the many different meanings of the word "catch". We talk about falling in love, but not very often about how or when we get caught. A catch can also be something seized, grasped, intercepted, engaged, attracted, or ignited among many other, sometimes contradictory meanings. This multi-dimensional word is a catalyst for group-generated text tied to movement structures which allow us to express our many versions of "the catch".