DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE NOISE -- my battery is pure love part 3

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE NOISE (written by Lucy Rupert) This is an essay in 9 parts for the 9 episodes that make up my solo dance ‘heartless’ which premiered in October 2023. The choreography for this piece started as a meditation on the history and mythology of robots, but burrowed its way into many other personal and cosmic places. (See my first two essays on the project “my battery is pure love” and “babelfish”). What follows is an account of my experience inside the 9 sections of ‘heartless’ during its opening night performance, tangled noisily with memories and sensations, past and future. 1. My ears grow rabbit-shaped, listening for the sound of rain, the audio cue that begins ‘heartless’. I realize that the audience, even in stillness, emanates a gentle rumble-buzz. I can’t hear my cue to start. But I part the black curtain at stage left and walk on with all the composure I can muster at opening night. I’ve missed the sound cue, but that’s ok. The beginning is an i...