Tbilisi SPP #10 Field Notes

June 20th, 2025, Vake Park, Tbilisi, Georgia

Duration: 2 hours, 6:30p to 8:30p from meeting place, warmup, and end.

Players: 5 performers, 2 camera people (1 performer alternated as video person)

Rita Soma (ES)
Asha Baun (RU)
Tanya (RU) (alternating video)
Tayna (RU) (alternating video)
Adam Koan (USA)
Joey Largent (USA) (conventional photography, not the video stills below)

For each SPP we hold in Tbilisi, we intentionally select a different location. This time, we’ve chosen Vake Park, situated in one of the more upscale areas of the city. For all SPPs, we set a minimum of five players, as a procession loses its essence with fewer. For this event, we were operating right at that minimum.

The SPP (Spontaneous Performance Procession) is a happening where dancers process around a given terrain for a set time and break out into mini body-based performances based on site-specific resonance. For detailed info on the SPP, see https://shadowbody.com/spp.

Geographically, this SPP was one of the most diverse we’ve experienced. We moved through untouched grassy fields dotted with trees, a carnival ride zone, the more domesticated walking areas of the park, expansive empty fountains, and abrupt environmental shifts as we ventured off the main paths into wild, overgrown hillside trails.

Curiously, the breakout performances were all solos, except for one, which was a duet.

From the beginning, the procession sustained a neutral walk for a good amount of time before the first breakout performance occurred. This felt fitting and allowed the body to ease into a focused state, encouraging intentionality rather than randomness in deciding when to break out next.

The SPP reminded me of older SPPs where the processions took on a mostly neutral walk. This creates a striking contrast, making the shift in energy during a performance breakout all the more noticeable and impactful.

Compared to other SPPs, there wasn’t much interaction with children or dogs, even though they were around. This probably added to the particularly focused feeling for this SPP as it had less distractions.

Sub-specifics

Within the SPP, different qualities or attributes may serve as the key trigger that draws us into a performance. We can refer to these as sub-specifics. They can be to name a few sound-specific, light-specific, or costume-specific (for a full list see the SPP page). A few interesting ones were noticed.

One performance was drawn to the shadows cast by the body on the pavement, making it light-specific. Another (my own) was sparked by a discarded blue helmet, which instantly became the catalyst for the piece, inspiring an improvised character—making it costume-specific. Another was provoked by an unpleasant smell—making it smell-specific.

Suggestions/Soft Critique

While the SPP was quite rich, a few observations may offer opportunities for improvement.

During the second performance, two documentarians ended up in each other’s line of sight. To maintain the integrity of the experience, it’s encouraged to avoid documenting other documenters, as their presence in frame can be distracting and take away from the performance’s focus.

Something to consider is that in performance if a prop is going to be taken into a space, then it should be used more than just in passing.

Don’t lose your bananas. I lost my bananas! In other words, try not to lose the prop you carried with you as part of your costume or character.

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