Two performers navigate a complex, shifting terrain of power, submission, complicity and consent. In a single physical act, one moves from lying to standing to lying, mounted by the other who never touches the floor. A short work by choreographer Joe Moran, Thirst has been shown as a performance intervention in galleries and social spaces.
The associations it produces are vivid violence, dependency, domination, weight, guilt, desire but the duet remains resolutely abstract, giving space for these readings to arise, mutate and complicate one another’ – Exeunt Magazine
‘The performative part of the afternoon revealed to be just as inspiring. Joe Moran presented Thirst, a short duo which delves into notions of power dynamics, dominance and submission’ – Springback Magazine
Selected performances
Tanzwerkstatt Europa Festival, Munich, August 2022
Nottingham Contemporary, October 2019 (NottDance festival)
Bluecoat CCA, Liverpool, October 2018
Queer Art(ists) Now, London, October 2017
Sadler’s Wells, London, September 2017 (premiere)
Choreographer: Joe Moran
Dancers: Samir Kennedy and Christopher Owen; Karl Fagerlund and Sean Murray
Photography: Brian Roberts (at Bluecoat, above) and David Edwards
Film extract from work by Joe Moran and Sam Williams
Developed during research supported by Arts Council England, Sadler’s Wells, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts and Dance Art Foundation private patrons.
Photography: David Edwards