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Loie Fuller is a relevant practitioner that I have drawn from for my scratch performance. Through the artist’s use of fabrics, Fuller’s iconic works inform investigations of the relationship between texture and movement. The artist has inspired me to explore how different textures of our natural environment are abstracted through fabrics. Within my scratch performance I used multiple different textured fabrics.

For water I used silk to enhance the smooth effect the ocean has on movement dynamics. I manipulated the motion of the fabric by using Fuller's swaying and swinging technique. This skill created wave-like motions with the fabric, representing the ripples and waves we witness from water. For sand I used a rough multi-textured material. I believed that the multi-textured fabric corresponded with the complex textures of sand. whilst sand is granular and coarse to touch, it looks smooth and soft to the human eye. I used the fabric whilst dancing a grounded and animalistic contemporary style created through improvisation. This had an impact on my performance as it heightened the complex textures that sand holds whilst forwarding my creative outlooks and inspiration taken from Fuller.

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The company Rosas has been an important influence on the creation of my scratch concept video. Founder and choreographer, Anne Tersa De Keersmaeker, created the concept video Rosas Danst Rosas in 1983. Using the camera to capture repetition and spatial awareness, the artist emerges stationary movement with natural architectural surroundings enhancing dancers' relationship with texture and the surrounding environment.

This approach influenced my own personal usage of site and film. I began my choreographic journey through improvisation and taking responses straight from environmental textures. When it came to filming my scratch piece, Rosas Danst Rosas inspired me to not only capture dance movement. But to also give the audience sensory material, this included film shots of the four chosen elements that I believed captured heightened textures. I did this to enhance emotional reactions to each of the textures the four elements had to offer.

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The transformation of our surroundings through textures by Abbie Ballans

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The transformation of our surroundings through textures by Abbie Ballans

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The transformation of our surroundings through textures by Abbie Ballans

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Rehearsal footage - Dissertation (27/03/25)

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Abbie Ballans Module1 scratch proposal (1)

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Before the early 1900’s the dancer and choreographer, Isadora Duncan, developed the modern style known as contemporary. There was only the style of ballet were stories, usually surrounded by love, were performed. Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, (2024), explains that Duncan protested the traditions set-in place, symbolising freedom the artist often wore loose flowing tunics and corsets and pointe shoes, the artist challenged gender roles within dance defining social expectations of femininity.

Being inspired by mythology and Greek art, Duncan's emphasis around freedom of nature and self-expression was her drive forward. Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, (2014), Being the first dancer to experiment with the modern dance style of improvisation, Duncan allowed her body to lead her forward within choreography to showcase her devotion to connection with the body and self-expression. The artist believed that dance should come from inner emotions rather than the traditions of an external form. This outlook upon dance assisted the truly expressive style of improvisational dance. Moving away from the performance aspect, Duncan seen dance as personal expression, conscious, and an act of artistic freedom says Franko, M. (2011).

Throughout my scratch and final dissertation production I have used Isadora Duncan's choreographic improvisational methods as the main creation source. Through Duncan’s improvisational methods, I have used my own interpretations and emotions of each element, both environmental and urban surfaces, and its textures to adjust choreographic styles that are suitable through improvisation. The relationship between feeling dynamic shifts of movement within the body and muscle memory applies depth effectively to a dancer's performance quality through heightened kinaesthetic awareness. I have used Duncan's improvisation style to heighten my awareness of chosen surface textures. This is so I can remain present through improvisation whilst adjusting movement dynamics to my fullest creative abilities.

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Hofesh Shechter’s movement language has been influenced by Gaga but developed overtime. With Shechter’s unique style being organically earthy, energetic and charged by action. According to Wix.com, (2025) the artist’s abrupt and animalistic style of movement captures the complexities of emotions whilst showcasing rawness within its energy.

I have taken influence and inspiration from Shechter for the rust section. This element has a rough, flakey, and brittle texture. Rust influences dancers' choreographic style in a unique and abstract manner due to this intense multi-sensory element. This resulted in movement dynamics to choreographically shift in a more gestural, animalistic, or gritty way. Using the artists choreographic influence, I have incorporated sharp abruptions throughout to reflect the rough surface texture. Whilst also mixing Shechter's grounded action-filled choreographic style. This is to showcase and enhance the dynamics within my movement to heighten the rawness and brittleness of rust.

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Choreographer, Merce Cunningham, believed that dance did not have to follow a rhythmical beat or have a stimulus. Believing that dance should be its own art form, Cunningham created the choreographic device called chance. The artist would select a range of movements and roll a dice to decide the order of the choreographic sequence. Independent.com, (1995) explains that chance has helped him create different systems when choreographing.

In improvisational practices, the dice method offers choreographic structure whilst assisting dancers in staying open minded. Butterworth, J. (2012) explains that using chance within improvisation practices ensures creators to remain hyper present in the moment and focus. Within my choreographic journey, I have used the dice method throughout my scratch and final major production. As I have chosen to create my piece through choreographed improvisation, because in my opinion creativity is allowed to expand further when there are no structures or limitations. In contrast to this, I have found Cunningham's chance method to hold a subtle structure format. This has allowed my creativity to flow throughout my choreography, whilst offering assistance and minimal structure.