Research
Process
Session 1
Warm Up Exploration
Warming up Session’s note:
Vendredi 6 March – with Mimi
Transdisciplinary project → she is the sensual
• Start with Deep House then Ndombolo
• Warming up with Aya Nakamura – Doudou
Very shy – warming sensual
Melrose Place – Kelblack – Guy Gerber
• Back to Deep House – Whitney Beats only
• Lady – nice sensual moves – freely
• You Are My High – fluid moves
• One More Time – Daft Punk
• Ndombolo → The Call Beat more waist movement
Second time = free sensual waist move
Decision made :
The track will be both deep house and ndombolo with a big break in the middle
Need to find a crazy transition
1m45
• Deep House Whitney → beat
1 → more energetic 2 →
Send the The Call video
• The Call – the beat
freely taking the space
→ also understanding the beat break
Next page
• Deep House Whitney Beats
→ taking more space → more energy
Changing / turning direction back – front
This section documents the collaborative sessions between dancer and designer. Each session explores how music, space and improvisation influence the body's movement and generate material for design research.
Context
The first session functioned as an introduction to the research process. The goal was to become familiar with the method and begin exploring how the body reacts to different musical environments.
The session took place in an open studio environment and focused on improvisational movement.
Music Environment
The exploration began with deep house music to encourage fluid and sensual movement qualities.
Later in the session, the possibility of introducing ndombolo rhythms was discussed. The final performance session will combine both musical styles through a custom mix produced specifically for the project.
Deep house encourages continuous and flowing movement, while ndombolo is expected to generate more grounded and rhythmic body dynamics.
Movement Observations
During the first exploration, the movement remained relatively contained within a small area of space.
Several observations emerged during the session:
• movement stayed mostly within a limited spatial zone
• gestures were relatively small and controlled
• movement direction remained mostly frontal
To expand the physical vocabulary, several suggestions were introduced during the session:
• using the full space of the room
• exploring forward and backward trajectories
• increasing the amplitude of gestures
• allowing the body to respond more freely to the rhythm
These suggestions will guide the preparation for the next session.
Research Notes
The first session revealed how strongly music influences the quality of movement. Deep house rhythms produced fluid and sensual gestures, while the introduction of ndombolo is expected to generate more energetic and grounded movements.
This initial session therefore functioned as a preparation phase before the main movement capture session.
Mimi will continue practicing independently before the next session in order to explore a wider range of spatial and physical possibilities.