NobleMotion launches its 18^th season with the world premiere of CHANT, a futuristic ritual of sound, movement, and sensory-driven technology at the MATCH, August 15 & 21-22 at 8:00 PM. Set in a speculative, disconnected future where society yearns for ancient traditions, CHANT is part meditation, part kinetic protest. The evening features an original score by composer and multimedia artist Badie Khaleghian and vocal director Kari Francis. Together, they integrate live vocal chanting performed directly by the dancers, creating an immersive, multi-sensory interplay between breath, voice, and body. The choreography investigates how sound shapes physical movement and how communal vocalization can facilitate collective bonding and healing.

At the center of this futuristic world is “The Originator,” a pivotal role held by vocal director Kari Francis. Her live voice serves as the project’s primary “call,” which is layered and electronically manipulated in real-time to build an immersive soundscape. The twelve dancers function as a responsive, living choir under the guidance of Francis and singer Steven Bogard. CHANT utilizes breath and vocal improvisation to bridge the gap between physical movement and collective song, tracing a universal lineage of resonance that transcends specific cultural boundaries.

CHANT also marks a significant technological evolution in NobleMotion’s ongoing artistic partnership with Badie Khaleghian. To construct the production’s interactive environments, scenic designer Germán Cárdenas-Alaminos has engineered a network of four custom stage installations embedded with sensitive microphones and accelerometers. These instruments capture the dancers live vocal and physical data, instantly mapping their real-time biometric inputs directly into the electronic score and dynamic 2D projections. Returning from New York City to sculpt the atmospheric environment is lighting designer Bryan Ealey, whose designs respond to the evolving, high-stakes shifts in the performance space. Costume designer Barry Doss completes this world with garments that evoke a timeless chrysalis, symbolizing the metamorphosis of the human spirit.

By integrating the choreographers, choral directors, designers, and composer into every phase of the creative pipeline, CHANT unfolds as a unified, organic ecosystem. The performance moves seamlessly from moments of meditative, vulnerable introspection to a soaring, full-bodied crescendo. By stripping away traditional performance boundaries and fusing historical reference with speculative technology, CHANT invites the audience into an environment where sound manifests as physical motion, community transforms into a technological ritual, and collective human vibration becomes a transformative artistic act.