Woolgathering

The term “woolgathering” is an old English idiom for indulgence in daydreams or absentminded imagining, choreographer Ashley Horn tells us. “It came from people who collected wool that had been caught on bushes and weeds when sheep would brush against them. It was a task that required much wandering and little purposeful thought.” There’s that same daydreaming and wandering sense to Horn’s Woolgathering. The performance takes place in a large dance studio that has been turned into a giant blanket fort, Horn says. “A 3,186-square-foot patchwork blanket [covers] the ceiling and walls. The space is lit with 500 tiny paper lanterns and Christmas lights. It’s reminiscent of nomadic cultures, ritual, the night sky and other dream images.”

Woolgathering is not exactly a linear story, Horn tells us. “There are a couple of recognizable subplots, but overall the narrative is very loose,” she says. “One piece, a duet, was made around a story where two goddesses were created by an ancient tribe. They were worshipped and lavished with gifts and sacrifices. When [the] tribe died out…these deities were forgotten and lost to history. In their duet, they are sentenced to an eternity of being beautiful, bejeweled and utterly alone.”

At least that’s what Horn was thinking when she created the piece. She understands that may not be what the audience will get from the performance. “I had a great time making all these little stories and filling them out with movement and costumes, but I don’t find it necessary to convey the exact story to the audience. I hope that each piece inspires the audience member’s imagination to create its own characters and circumstances.”

8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Hope Stone Studio, 1210 West Clay. For information, call 713-526-1907 or visit hopestoneinc.org. $5.

May 23-24, 8 p.m., 2014