The Instrumental Project
"...Thomas's partnerships with musicians were thoughtful and well executed. Thomas's great strength as a choreographer is his ability to build complex emotional relationships between characters." - Sarah Halzack, Washington Post(2007)
(2002- present)
For many years, I have been teaching movement/dance to wind players, percussionists and band directors. This is a natural endeavor for me, having
taught music in public schools and having been involved with marching bands since high school. Like Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, I also see music as movement
and movement as music. For me, one does not exist without the other. So my journey continued… exploring the existence (physical and aural) of the live musician,
occupying the same space and overlapping kinesphere in performance.
In May 2005, VTDance partnered with the Ahn Trio for a collaborative new work in the Instrumental Project. The Ahn Trio, Angella
(violin), Lucia (piano), and Maria (cello) are three sisters originally from Korea. They played Astor Piazzolla’s “Primavera Portena”, the ‘Spring’
movement from Las cuatro estaciones portenas (1969). They describe the music as street music, seductive, violent and sexy, tension, and passionate.
Joining Vincent as a trio of dancers are Mya Hardy and Tony Byrd. This piece was commissioned and supported by Scott McCormick and the 2005 Bands of
America Summer Symposium in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.
Ahn Trio- www.ahntrio.com
Bands of America- www.bands.org
