Wolf Women

Tania Rubio
2021
For 2 Performers and Electronics

*Specially written for Ellen Ugelvik and Jennifer Torrence

 Wolf Women
For 2 performers

“D’uair bha an fhairge mhór ‘na coille choinnich ghlais, bha mis am mhúineig òig”
(The time when the great sea was a grey mossy wood, I was a young girl)

The piece is insipired in the freedom, knowledge of nature and healing power of
women in ancient cultures.
My desire is to create a powerful energetic soundspace.
The body movements and sounds should be perceived strong and
powerful without being aggresive.
The movements should be organic, natural and light as possible.

The piece is written through actions happening around the space. Every action become a sound.
I explore repetitive action patterns to play instruments distributed around the space.
The intention is to create an immmersive soundspace with the resulting resonances.

Wolf women explores the borders between sound art, music theater, ritual and immersive
sound installation.

The space should be prepared since the begining. (Space set up)
Carry with you a pair of soft mallets and a superball mallet.

!"#$%&'("$#)*"+,-%)#-&"+)-./(0$#

8 cymbals from different sizes

8 stands for the cymbals
2 symphonic cymbals
2 pair of crotals
2 superball mallets
1 resonant metal plate
2 pair of soft mallets
2 big bowls with water
2 shoe brushes
2 rain drums
2 small speakers

Electronics
8 channel speakers
interface with 8 channels
cables
The piece have V sections in the score, but there is no division or silence between them.
The names of the sections are writen to make a change in the behavior, the quality of the movements,
and therefore the result of the sounds.
It should be performed without score, the sections are also intended to help the performer to organize
the patterns in the memory.
I. Hunting, II. Netherworld, III. Kali, IV Healing, V. Travelers

I. Hunting
The intention of the running from one place to other is a poetic way to “hunt the sound”.
Everytime you are running, think on the trayectory of the sound.
Wether a sound is the starting point, the continuation, or the end of a gesture.

1 2 3 4 5

roll the cymbal hit the cymbal throw the cymbal run to stop the cymbal stop the cymbal
over the floor on the floor to your partner

It must be a single sound gesture, from rolling, hitting to the floor, throwing, and stopping by hitting.

0 p
Create a continuum growing spectrum. Every time a new cymbal starts, avoid the attack.
The idea is to listen a spectrum that is growing in frequency spectrum, therefore
the cymbals should be with different sizes.
Space Set up

Tania Rubio c 2021 3

1. HUNTING

PII.0 PII.1 PI.2

PII.2
Run to stop
starting position the cymbal
P.II
Stop
the cymbal

hit to the floor

throw it
to your partner

Roll the cymbal

over the floor Run to stop

starting position P.I PI.1 the cymbal

Each performer will have two cymbals.

The first cymbal will be placed already on each position to be thrown and the second to be stopped.
Everytime that each performer arrives to the position, should make the same sequence.

Performer I. 1
- Roll the cymbal over the floor, let it sound.
- Hit the cymbal to the floor to stop the roll and throw it to your partner.

Performer II.0
- Wait silently without moving until your partner throw he cymbal.

PII.1
- Run to stop the cymbal. (The body must be prepared and suddenly act like a predator hunting its prey)
- Hit the cymbal to stop it.

PII.2
- Roll the cymbal over the floor, let it sound.
- Hit the cymbal to the floor to stop the roll and throw it to your partner.

PI.2
- Run to stop the cymbal, and hit the cymbal to stop it.

(Everytime your partner is running, put the cymbal that you stopped silently on the stand.)

Tania Rubio c 2021 1

PI.4 PI.3

PII.4
PII.3
PI.3
- Roll the cymbal over the floor, let it sound.
- Hit the cymbal to the floor to stop the roll and throw it to your partner.

PII.3
- Run to stop the cymbal, and hit the cymbal to stop it.

PII.4
- Roll the cymbal over the floor, let it sound.
- Hit the cymbal to the floor to stop the roll and throw it to your partner.

PI.4
- Run to stop the cymbal, and hit the cymbal to stop it

PI.5

PII.6

PI.6
PII.5
Repeat the sequence in the next positions.

2
 PII.9 PII.14 PII.13 PI.14 PI.8
PI.9
PII.10
PII.8

PII.12

PI.13
PI.7
PII.7 PII.11 PI.12 PI.11 PI.10

PII.
Play a soft roll with hard mallets. Very slowly and softly make a crescendo before the sound breaks.
Let the cymbal vibrate. Fill the space with the resonance and let them to overlap.

PI.
Run to the next position meanwhile your partner is playing.
(alternate the sequence with your partner and repeat.)

PII.15 PII.15 PI.16

PII.16 PI.17

PII.19 PII.18 PII.17 PI.20 PI.19 PI.18

PII. & PI.

Hit the cymbal and run as fast as possible. Don’t let the sound vanish before you get to the next position.
3
II. Netherworld

PII.21 PI.21
PI.
Let the cymbals vib until the sound vanish. Softly take the metal plate and the soft mallets.
After the silence, hit the metal plate with the soft mallet Let it vibrate while turning around
and walking slowly to the front. (Alternate the resonance with your partner.)

PII.
Let the cymbals vib until the sound vanish. Softly take the orchestral cymbals.
After the attack of your partner, rotate while dragging the cymbals over the floor very slowly.
Softly stand up and let the cymbals vibrate. (Alternate the resonance with your partner.)

PII.22 PI.22

PI. & PII.

Leave the cymbals and the metal plate. Each performer take a pair of crotals. Staring at each other,
do the same sequence simultaneously. Hit the crotals, let them vib while rotating the arms slowly. (Repeat).
PI.
Perform the sequence simultaneousle with your partner but stand in your place.
PII.
Perform the sequence simultaneousle with your partner while walking until you are in front of her. 4
III. Kali

PII.23 PI.23

hit the crotals

(base pattern) rub the crotals

steps

(pattern 1) hit the crotals vib off vib

mute sound

(pattern 2)

PI. & PII.

Walk sideways simultaneously dragging the feet at the same tempo.
Repeat the patterns freely in the order, times and tempo of your choise.
Performers are free to choose and alternate the patterns, or create new patterns.
The patterns should be done together as a single unity.

IV. Healing

PII.24 PI.24

PI. & PII.

Go together to your table.
Independently hit the crotals and dip them in the water, alternate slowly.
Lights off. Go to the back of the table.
Take a deep breath put your head inside the water.

5
 PII.25 PI.25

PI. & PII.

While the head is inside the water, repeat constantly the texts freely, in any tempo and order.
Each performer should speak inside the water until breathing becomes a desperate need.
Each performer has their own time to speak and breath. Lift the head to breathe whenever is needed.

Speaking texts:

1.“The limit of the rational mind”

2.“Limit reality to the rational mind”
3.“Believe only in a corporal existence

PII.26 PI.26

PI. & PII.

Brush the rain drum with the shoe-brush while speaking inside the water. The sound of brushing should
intensified with the need of breathing. Everytime that the head is up to breathe stop súbito the brushing,
but keep speaking/shouting while breathing.
The intention is to intensified the sensation of needing to breathe, until the limit. It doesn’t matter
if the text is not understandable.
This section should be intense, pushing yourself to the limit. As a ritualistic way of healing.
It is a metaphor about how much we need to “breathe” to survive.
At the end of the scene, stop súbito and breathe. As a metaphor when we are in the border line,
sometimes we need to leave everything, stop, and just breath.
6
PII.27 PI.27

PI. & PII.

While breathing put the small speaker on the rain drum.
Until your breath is calm, take the rain drum with the speaker on the top,
press play in the speaker and walk to the front.

The sound of the speaker should make vibrate the rain-drum.

V. Travelers

PI.28

Whispering:
“sí” = [she]
prolongate the
shhhhhhh-é

PII.28
PI. & PII.
Walk slowly with the rain drum and the speaker.
After 3-4 steps turn fast the rain drum to the left.
While turning fast the rain drum whisper simoultaneously: “sshhhhh-é”
Stop súbito until the rain drum gets quiet, repeat the action turning the rain drum to the opposite side.
Try to create very small and soft waves with the sound the rain drum.

7
 PI.29

PII.29
PI. & PII.
Leave the rain drum with the speaker on the floor.
Take the superball mallet and try to create a howling sound in the cymbal.
Slowly interact with your partner and the sounds of the speakers.
Let the cymbal resonate and change to the other cymbal next to you.

Leave the resonance of the howling from the four cymbals.

PI.30

PII.30

PI. & PII.

During the resonance produce a soft tremolo between the two nearest cymbals.
Slowly make a smooth crescendo.
Stop.
Let vibrate.
Start again.
(alternate the crescendo with your partner)

8
 PI.31

PII.31
PI. & PII.
Make a roll in a single cymbal
Accelerate with crescendo.
Súbito stop and mute.
Start again.
(alternate the crescendo rolls with your partner)

Repeat the pattern several times.

Progressively the rolls get faster and louder.

PI.32

PII.32
PI. & PII.
Alternate freely with the cymbal next to you.
Everytime each performer turns around the partner should also turn to change cymbal.

Both performers should finish together in the loudest crescendo roll and mute immediately.