The Music Has Already Started

In one puppet performance, while she is still speaking for the puppet, her gaze has already dropped to the side, and yet her face has taken on the expression that would appear only after hearing the line: her brow and eyes lightly receive the sentence, while her own mouth is still sending it out. She explains that, when performing from a script, this listening face can be arranged in advance.

In another performance, an audience member is fitted with a mask that has a mechanical lower jaw. The performer stands beside him, pulling the mouth placed in front of his face, and also provides its voice. The false mouth announces that it wants to dance; he crosses his arms and stands where he is. The performer pauses to explain that if he does not want to, he does not have to dance. The false mouth still says it wants to dance, and the act soon arrives just before the music.

When the music begins, he again crosses his arms over his chest. The false mouth first says it will dance in the next section. The music goes on for a while; that section passes, and it pushes the start a little farther back again. The next section passes too. No first step, no turn; the music does not stop, and the two people remain standing.

The performer first asks him to move his left hand. The left hand swings a few times at his side, with very small amplitude. The right hand then joins in. The two hands move like this for a while, still only swaying lightly at the sides of the body. The dance that had already been declared does not descend neatly into place; at first it has only one hand, then the other, while the music continues past these modest movements.

Later, the movement suddenly grows larger. He lifts one knee, and his body leaves the place where it had been standing. The mask is still on his face; the two people shift positions within the music. He raises an arm and takes another step. On the next beat, the two bend their knees side by side and step toward the same side.