Venetian blinds. Red carpet. The approximately 12’ x 12’ wooden structure is built into the small parlor, occupying the entire room from wall to wall. The arena is a square, orthogonally and diagonally divided into 16 equal sections, equipped with small triangular table tops in the outer corners and the central intersection, making the slots discretely pentagonal. There are Venetian blinds hanging above the threshold leading into the room. At the back of the room, is a bay-window facing the street. In the tight, trapezoidal space between the limit of the structure and the window, there is a music station with a turntable, amp, speakers and vinyl records, where the deejay-conductor is installed.
The blinds are raised and the 16 participants crawl on all fours across the red carpet and surface in an available subdivision of the structure. There are 16 slots, 1 for each body, and place-selection is spontaneous and instinctive.
In 3 consecutive rotations, the deejay-conductor plays traditional snake charming music while the participants convene in specific combinations, alternating positions and relationships. The participants remain in their individual slots during all three dances, but shift positions within their slot to meet with a different neighbor (or group of neighbors) for each dance, exhausting all possible contiguities by the end of the work.
1st dance: 4 groups of 4: each group gathers around the center outer station. The deejay-conductor instructs the groups to interact socially in a natural and unconstrained manner during a 5‑minute of segment of uninterrupted music.
A 1‑minute interval while participants shift positions for the next dance.
2nd dance: 4 groups of 2: one in each of the outer corners of the main square and one group of 8, all gathered around the center of the main square. The deejay-conductor instructs the groups to interact socially in a natural and unconstrained manner during a 5‑minute of segment of uninterrupted music.
A 1‑minute interval while participants shift positions for the next dance
3rd dance: 4 groups of 4: each group gathered at the diagonal intersection of each quarter. The deejay-conductor instructs the groups to interact socially in a natural and unconstrained manner during a 5‑minute of segment of uninterrupted music.
The work is completed and participants are free to exit the structure.