Tammy Tsang (she/her) is an interdisciplinary dance artist. Her work is informed by the intricacies of the human body. With a focus on her audience’s bodily experience, Tsang plays with sensory systems, tactility and tangibility.
Tsang’s project Don’t you wanna Dance Say you wanna Dance evokes the uncomfortable feeling of being trapped, frozen and unable to move or act, a familiar experience that resonates with many following lockdowns and public restrictions. The film presented here is a contemplation of the installation that Tsang created for this PANIC! bursary project, with the support of A/V artist Connor Haynes. Audience members were invited to enter a mini dance club with instruction: ‘DO NOT MOVE’. Motion sensors detected all movement, which deactivated the disco until the person remained motionless.
The film blends documentary footage from the installation with a haunting voice reciting lyrics from popular songs, creating a poem. Lyrics such as ‘You should be dancing’ and ‘Don’t blame it on the sunshine’ weave around the personal text by Tsang, juxtaposed with the upbeat music mixed by Kieran West, adding to the feeling of unease throughout the project. Tsang uses this work to investigate the feelings and sensations that arise when we are unable to enjoy the innate pleasures of moving to music.