Project Showcase

A Moment

Podcast: Human Touch in Notes Music for the Original Modern Dance

A note on writing the music

How many details of a story and time can be captured in the instrumentation and sound design of a piece of music? I wanted this to be a very visual score which evoked a time period and place.

“A Moment” is a modern dance, based on Bren Gosling's play 'Moment of Grace' set in the backdrop of the 80s, following the AIDS epidemic in the UK. Visions of neon lights, grotty streets, electrical energy all made its way in to the music, as well as moments of human touch, embrace, kindness and beauty in a difficult time. It was these moments of of connection that really drove the heart of the musical story, and you can hear how an almost symphonic sound came about

I kept on coming back to the idea that human contact and touch and a physical embrace between two people when writing this music. This led to the idea of using two synth voices that almost dance together to form the DNA of the music. This reoccurs many times throughout the show, manifesting in different forms. You can hear it in its most stripped back from in the introduction

I loved using sound design alongside traditional instruments to expand the possibilities of what music can evoke. This sharp, dangerous sounding piece was for a scene evoking the danger of the virus

General Info

“I used to be interested in clothes, clubs, buying records. And men. Now my life... what life?” – Moment of Grace, Bren Gosling.

A Moment dances through intimate human connections into explosions of physicality woven together in Thomas Page Dance’s unique style of gesture, contortion, and grounded visceral movement, with an intricate score by composer Robert Singer.The piece draws parallels between the 80s and the present day, reflecting on what has changed and the lasting impact that period has had on the LGBTQIA+ community. The work also gives thanks to those who made it possible to say, “HIV is no longer a death sentence” and ensures such an important part of history is not forgotten.

Thomas Page Dances, are presenting this intimate duet, with the hope to spark a new wave of conversations around HIV/AIDS helping to raise awareness whilst creating a physical archive of such a vital part of our history. The performance moves through gestural phrases and intricate partnering to create different episodes and relationships creating a highly visceral experience for the audience.