El Aleteo de la Mariposa

— finding the structure within the chaos —

Categories: creation, research, collaboration

What is small?
How much power does a small act have?
How can it have as big an impact as a hurricane?
And what system is behind it that makes this possible?

In the research and ScreenDance project "El Aleteo de la Mariposa" the artists (Rebecca Mary & Irene Carreño) searched for answers to the questions: What is small? How much power does a small act have? How can it have as big an impact as a hurricane? And what system is behind it that makes this possible?

The Chaos Theory states that the seemingly random chaos of our world's complex systems is based on patterns, interconnectedness, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-organization, and more. This is the inspiration for their work.

„El Aleteo de la Mariposa” was dance research project which resulted in a ScreenDance Film that explored the concept of the Butterfly Effect through both theoretical reflection as well as movement research.

The research began in February 2022 and our main interest in the power of the small actions and how they can create a huge resonance.

Questions that initiated our research were:
- What is the difference between resonance and reaction? How long does a resonance last? How do different impulses create different resonances?
- How can a movement, phrase, composition transform over time? What are the specific elements which allow the performer to do this?
- What really is a small movement? Is it only about the size or does the intention behind the movement, the placement in space, the speed also influence its resonance in space?
- What does it mean to create chaos through movement?
- What is the dramaturgy of the Butterfly Effect/Chaos theory?