Tania Candiani

This series of stitched drawings is inspired by Raoul-Auger Feuillet’s *Choregraphie ou L’art de decrire la dance (1701), a seminal manual introducing a comprehensive system for notating dance, created under the court of Louis XIV. The system builds on earlier efforts, such as Thoinot Arbeau’s *Orchesographie* (1588), but integrates musical notation, textual description, and gestural illustration into a unified framework.

Feuillet’s method begins with “true” and “false” positions for foot placement, resembling the foundations of classical ballet. It progresses to steps—movements categorized as straight, circular, wavy, or beaten—each depicted using musical-like symbols. These notations reflect both the dynamics of the steps and the ideologies of their origin, designed to mirror the refined tastes of the French court. 

The stitched works reinterpret this notation system, translating its intricate symbols into machine-sewn designs. Presented on circular metal structures, these canvases hang like leaves from a tree, inviting viewers to walk around them and mimic the motion of dance with their own steps. This circular arrangement fosters an embodied interaction, linking the rhythm of sewing with the grace of dance.

The work offers a unique visual and kinetic experience. The series of machine-stitched canvases are presented hanging in a circular shape on metal structures, similar to a tree from whose branches the notations hang.

By combining dance notation with the mechanical precision of sewing, the series reflects on the intersection of visual art, movement, and historical ideologies. It captures the fluidity of dance and the meticulous rhythm of sewing, offering a layered exploration of choreography as both a visual language and a means of structuring human movement. This immersive presentation invites audiences to consider the connections between the expressive body, the visual representation of movement, and the cultural contexts shaping these forms.