(quartet) (2000)

"In Out From A Far(m) Germond introduces a number of communications: animal sounds, spoken words (alone, in sequence, in unison), elaborate sign language (I don't know if she used actual signing or not, but it was completely convincing), larger and very athletic movement, facial expressions. When I think of it now, it seems as though there were actually two distinguishable sign languages: one that appeared to be standard and another that seemed to be a new creation. I was fascinated by this signing, the relationship between hands and faces.

The male dancer in this piece was completely serious, seeming to be engrossed and to not make eye contact with the audience, perhaps not to be aware of it. The autistic qualities of compulsion and deep absorption that characterized his movements were a contrast to the movements of the three female dancers. They seemed at times to pantomime and cavort; at other times their dancing was almost flame-like, joyous.

Once again this piece gives that feeling of unease that so characterizes Germond's work: is this funny or frantic? Are the performers communicating when they speak or just making human sounds? When the words were chanted in phrases, was the relation between them meaningful or arbitrary? Ditto for the dancers' movements. Was there a coherent relationship (among them) being suggested or were their encounters random, their responses to each other on the level of reflex or instinct rather than intention? Germond's choreography works with languages, the relationships between sign and meaning."

-Linda Duke, 2000
Curator at the Krannert Art Museum
Urbana IL

Text for Act II of Out From Afar(m) is a list- poem by Lehcar Dnomreg:

Angels/Ancestors/ Bitch/ Birth... Curiosity/ Curse/ Desire/ Deer... Experience/Extravagant/ Fragrant/ Fat/ Female... God. Great... Happen/Immediately. Join/Jump. Kiss/ Kill/ Keep Quiet. Language/ Land. Marriage/Menstruation. Noon. Order/Order/Order. Ourselves Plenty. Pretty. Queer. Queen. Raise/Redeem. Secret Table Teacher Understand Worth. Year. Yesterday. Zero.

Music: Act I - Sound Effects, Act II - Dave Douglas, Act III - Gisberg
Running length: 12 minutes