Infinite Shapes of Creatures

Sophia Torres, artistic director of the Psophonia Dance Company, routinely asks a lot of her dancers. For Infinite Shapes of Creatures, an abstract work exploring sustainable food practices, she also asked a lot of her collaborators, flautist Adrienne Inglis and harpist Shana Norton, both from Austin. Torres started by asking the musicians to memorize the music and perform onstage sans music stands. “I wanted them to be more mobile on the stage,” Torres tells us. “If they have to move a music stand and carry their music, it separates them from the dancers onstage.” Inglis and Norton agreed. Then she asked if she could move them around the stage, incorporating them into the piece. They both agreed again.

“It was a little more challenging with the harp. My husband built a stand for her and the harp, and we move her around on the stand. I said, ‘Hey, Shana, how do you feel about standing on this platform? It has wheels, but don’t worry, the dancers are going to be dancing around you and moving you and the harp around. It’ll be great!’” Torres laughs, remembering the moment. “Then I told the flautist, ‘The dancers are going to sit around you and pick you up, okay? All you have to do is bend.’ Thankfully, they both said, ‘Sure, we’ll try it.’” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. City Dance Studio, 1307 West Clay. For information, call 713-802-1181 or visit psophonia.com. $15 to $20.

Nov. 22-23, 8 p.m., 2013