Founded in February 2007 by New York dancer and choreographer ELLEN GODENA and Boston musician MAX LORD, Zeroplan is a performance series that combines improvised experimental music with avant-garde movement and dance. Performances in Boston (there are related New York shows) are informal and spontaneous, with some of the city’s most innovative musicians and dancers collaborating.
“Performers need to break out of the overly scripted confines of club shows or dance programs to create certain kinds of work, especially spontaneous work,” Lord explains. “We know so many artists in the area who we knew could just be thrown together and good stuff would happen. But you have to create a comfortable environment to stretch out and take risks.”
By design, then, the shows are equal part performance and party. Held in a stunning Boston loft space (its location available only via e-mail), they’re free, Godena and Lord serving food and acting as hosts. It’s a pleasant surprise, Lord admits, “how often we have people at these events who are not really dedicated fans of improv, experimental music, or dance. But when you put all this together, it can make people dig some really far-out work.”
This Saturday, June 14, Zeroplan presents an analog-synthesizer blowout with three of Boston’s most adventurous synthesists: the oft-celebrated (and copiously bearded) KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN, DANNY LOPATIN of Astronaut fame, and Lord himself performing on his Buchla Marimba Lumina — which is as exotic as it sounds. Godena and dancer/choreographer NATHAN ANDARY will be filling in the shapeshifting side of the equation.
And what form will this all take? Lord: “There will be continuous, highly spacy music all night. At a few points, spontaneous performances involving various disco-era props will occur. I don’t know much more than that.” For details and directions, e-mail info@zeroplan.org.
KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN + DANNY LOPATIN + MAX LORD + ELLEN GODENA + NATHAN ANDARY | Zeroplan | June 14 | info@zeroplan.org
